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MILLS  *  SEMINARY 
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At- 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS, 

PART     I. 


LKTTER  TO  THE  HON.  JOHN  M.  PALMER 


CHAPTER   I. 

GEOLOGY  OF  CALHOUN  COUNTY. 
By  A.  H.  Worthen Pages  1  to  23 

CHAPTER    II. 

GEOLOGY  OF  PIKE  COUNTY. 
By  A.  H.  Worthen Pages  24  to  42 

CHAPTER     III. 

GEOLOGY  OF  ADAMS  COUNTY. 
By  A.  H.  Worthen « Pages  43  to  61 

CHAPTER   IV. 

GEOLOGY  OF  BROWN  COUNTY. 
By  A,  H.  Worthen , Pages  62  to  74 

CHAPTER    V. 

GEOLOGY  OF  SCHUYLER   COUNTY. 
By  A.  H.  Worthen Pages  75  to  89 


IV  TA35LE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

GEOLOGY  OF  FULTON  COUNTY, 
By  A.  H.  Worthen Pages  90  to  110 

CHAPTER   VII. 

GEOLOGY  OF  DEKALB,  KANE  AND  DoPAGE   COUNTIES. 
By  Henry  M.  Bannister ,   Pages  111  to  125 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

GEOLOGY  OF  McHENRY  AND  LAKE   COUNTIES. 
By  Henry  M.  Bannister Pages  126  to  135 

CHAPTER    IX. 

GEOLOGY  OF  KENDALL  COUNTY. 
By  Henry  M.  Bannister Pages  136  to  148 

CHAPTER    X. 

GEOLOGY  OF  MORGAN  COUNTY. 
By  Henry  M.  Bannister Pages  149  to  162 

CHAPTER    XI. 

GEOLOGY  OF  CASS  AND  MENARD  COUNTIES. 
By  Henry  M.  Bannister Pages  163  to  175 

CHAPTER    XII. 

GEOLOGY  OF  TAZEWELL,  McLEAN,  LOGAN  AND  MASON  COUNTIES. 
By  H.  M.  Bannister Pages  176  to  189 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

GEOLOGY  OF  GRUNDY  COUNTY. 
By  Frank  H.  Bradley pages  190  to  206 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

GEOLOGY  OF  WILL  COUNTY. 
By  Frank  II.  Bradley Pages  207  to  225 

CHAPTER    XV. 

GEOLOGY  OF  KANKAKEE  AND  IROQUOIS  COUNTIES. 
By  Frank  H.  Bradley Pages  226  to  240 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

GEOLOGY  OF  VERMILION   COUNTY. 
By  Frank  H.  Bradley .' Pages  241  to  265 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

GEOLOGY  OF  CHAMPAIGN,  EDGAR  AND  FORD  COUNTIES. 
By  Frank  H.  Bradley Pages  266  to  275 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

GEOLOGY  OF  HENDERSON  COUNTY. 
By  H.  A.  Green Pages  276  to  287 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

GEOLOGY  OF  WARREN  COUNTY. 
By  II.  A.  Green. < Pages  288  to  300 

CHAPTER    XX. 

GEOLOGY  OF  MERCER  COUNTY. 
By  H.  A.  Green Pages  30]  to  312 

CHAPTER     XXI. 

GEOLOGY  OF  KNOX  COUNTY. 
By  H.  A.  Green Pages  313  to  324 


VI  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

GEOLOGY  OF  STARK  COUNTY. 
By  H.  A.  Green Pages  325  to  333 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

GEOLOGY  OF  WOODFORD  COUNTY. 
By  H.  A.  Green Pages  334  to  342 


PART   II. 
PALAEONTOLOGY    OF     ILLINOIS. 

SECTION    I. 

DESCRIPTIONS  OF  VERTEBRATES. 
By  J.  S.  Newberry  and  A.  H.  Worthen Pages  346  to  3*74 

SECTION   II. 

DESCRIPTIONS  OF  PLANTS. 
By  Leo  Lesquereux Pages  377  to  508 


TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY 
THE    HON.    JOHN     M.     PALMER, 

GOVERNOR  OF    THE  STATE  OP  ILLINOIS. 

GEOLOGICAL     ROOMS, 

SPRINGFIELD,  September,  1870. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  of  submitting,  for  publication,  the  Fourth  Volume  of 
my  Report  on  the  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  in  accordance  with  the  provi- 
sions of  the  first  section  of  an  act  passed  by  the  Twenty-sixth  General  Assem- 
bly, and  approved  March  llth,  1869,  entitled,  "An  act  providing  for  the  pub- 
lication of  the  fourth  volume  of  the  report  of  the  State  Geologist,  and  fixing  his 
salary  for  the  next  two  years,"  which  section  reads  as  follows : 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  tJie  State  of  Il/inois,  represented  in  t/ie  General  Assembly,  That 
the  publication  of  three  thousand  copies  of  the  fourth  volume  of  the  report  of  the  state  geolo- 
gist is  hereby  authorized,  and  the  aum  of  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  is  hereby  appro- 
priated to  defray  the  cost  of  the  necessary  plates,  maps,  diagrams  and  drawings ;  and  also  the 
further  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  to  complete  the  necessary  drawings  for  the  fifth  volume 
of  said  report ;  said  sums  of  money  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  and  by  the  approval  of 
the  governor  and  the  state  geologist." 

Circumstances  entirely  beyond  my  control  have  prevented  the  appearance  of 
this  volume  at  an  earlier  day,  and  with  the  present  facilities  for  publication,  it 
is  quite  impossible  to  make  any  reliable  calculation  upon  the  time  that  will  be 
required  to  place  such  a  volume  in  the  hands  of  the  people,  after  the  material 
for  it  has  been  duly  prepared. 

The  manuscript  for  the  fifth  volume  is  now  ready  for  the  printer,  and  the 
plates  for  the  engraver,  and  the  materials  for  the  sixth  volume  are  in  hand,  and 
will  be  prepared  for  publication  as  rapidly  as  possible.  These  two  volumes  will 
include  the  reports  on  all  the  remaining  counties  in  the  State,  and  will  com- 
plete the  work  of  the  Survey,  in  accordance  with  the  plan  hitherto  pursued. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  H.  WOKTHEN. 


CHAPTER    I. 
CALHOUN  COUNTY. 

This  county  comprises  a  long,  narrow  belt  of  territory,  lying  in  the  forks  of 
the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers,  extending  about  thirty  miles  from  north  to 
south,  with  an  average  width  of  about  eight  miles.  Topographically,  it  may  be 
described  as  a  narrow  limestone  ridge,  elevated  from  two  to  three  hundred  feet 
above  the  river  level,  and  flanked  on  either  side  by  the  alluvial  bottoms  of  the 
great  rivers,  which  form  its  eastern,  southern  and  western  boundaries.  Over 
this  limestone  ridge  there  has  been  subsequently  deposited  beds  of  Quaternary 
age,  consisting  of  drift  clays,' gravel  and  loess,  covering  the  whole  surface  to 
the  depth  of  fifty- to  one  hundred  feet.  These  deposits  also  fill  some  of  the 
lateral  vallies  which  intersect  the  river  bluffs,  showing  that  these  valleys  existed 
anterior  to  the  drift  epoch. 

This  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Pike,  county,  on  the  east  by  the 
Illinois  river,  and  on  the  south  and  west  by  the  Mississippi.  It  embraces  an 
area  of  a  little  less  than  seven  townships,  or  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  square 
miles.  It  was  originally  a  heavily  timbered  region,  the  whole  of  the  uplands 
and  a  portion  of  the  bottoms  being  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber, 
embracing  the  usual  varieties  of  oak  and  hickory,  linden,  elm,  hackberry,  sugar 
maple,  black  and  white  walnut  and  honey  locust;  all  of  which  are  found  on 
the  uplands,  while  on  the  bottoms  we  find  cottonwood,  sycamore,  ash,  soft 
maple,  coffenut,  hornbeam,  pecan,  willow,  &c.  The  only  stream  of  any  impor- 
tance in  the  county,  besides  the  large  rivers  which  form  its  principal  boundaries, 
is  Bay  creek,  which  enters  the  county  near  the  northwest  corner,  and  after  a 
southeasterly  course  of  about  ten  miles,  empties  into  the  Mississippi  about  three 
miles  above  Hamburg. 

The  upland  region  in  this  county  is  quite  hilly,  and  some  of  it  is  too  broken 
for  cultivation,  though  the  soil  is  productive,  and  yields  abundant  crops  of  all 
the  cereals  and  fruits  usually  cultivated  in  this  climate.  The  heavy  deposits 
of  drift-clay  and  loess  that  overlie  the  stratified  rocks,  determine  the  general 
character  of  the  soil,  which  is  but  slightly  affected  by  the  older  formations, 
except  on  the  steep  slopes  of  the  hills,  where  the  limestones  and  sandstones 
come  to  the  surface,  and  by  their  decomposition,  have  modified  to  some  extent 
the  soil  above  them.  The  marly  clays  of  the  loess,  form  the  soil  and  subsoil 
over  a  large  portion  of  the  uplands,  while  the  bottoms  are  covered  with  a  sandy 
loam,  similar  in  character  to  that  of  the  principal  alluvial  valleys  of  the  west. 

The  geological  structure  of  this  county  is  exceedingly  interesting,  both  from 
the  wide  range  of  formations  exposed  within  its  limits,  and  also  from  the  dis- 
—1 


GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 


turbing  influences  to  which  the  older  strata  have  been  subjected.  The  great 
fault,  which  crosses  this  country  below  Cap  au  Gres,  is  the  most  remarkable 
disturbance  of  the  stratified  rocks  to  be  found  within  the  limits  of  the 
State,  and  to  this  disturbance  is  due  the  wide  range  of  geological  formations 
that  appear  within  the  area  of  this  county,  comprising  the  whole  range  of 
paleozoic  strata,  from  the  St.  Peters  Sandstone  of  the  Calciferous  period  to  the 
Coal  Measures,  and  including  something  over  a  hundred  feet  in  thickness  of 
the  latter  group,  a  wider  stratigraphical  range  of  formations  than  is  found  in 
any  other  county  in  this  portion  of  the  State.  This  fault  intersects  the  Mis- 
sissippi bluffs  immediately  below  the  high  cliff  of  St.  Peters  Sandstone,  to  which 
the  name  "  Cap  au  Gres"  or  Sandstone  Headland,  was  given  by  the  French 
Voyageurs,  and- with  a  trend  of  east  10°  south,  it  intersects  the  bluffs  of  the 
Illinois  about  two  miles  below  Monterey,  crosses  to  the  bluffs  on  the  eastern 
side  of  that  stream,  about  five  miles  above  its  mouth,  and  after  intersecting  an 
elbow  of  the  river  bluff  in  Jersey  county  for  three  or  four  miles,  it  is  finally 
lost  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The  strata  have  not  only  been  dislocated 
by  this  disturbance,  but  there  has  also  been  a  down-throw  of  the  beds,  to  the 
extent  of  at  least  seven  or  eight  hundred  feet  on  the  western  side  of  the  fault, 
while  on  the  east,  they  remain  but  slightly  elevated  above  their  original  hori- 
zontal position,  and  are  se'en  dipping  gently  to  the  northeastward. 

To  the  northward  of  this  axis,  the  Burlington  limestone  forms  the  bed  rock 
at  the  summit  level  of  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  two  rivers,  up  to,  and  be- 
yond the  Pike  county  line,  while  to  the  southward,  nearly  all  the  highlands  are 
directly  underlaid  by  the  St.  Louis  limestone  or  the  Coal  Measures.  The  exact 
line  of  this  fault  is  hidden  in  the  valley  of  a  small  stream,  which  enters  the 
Mississippi  just  below  the  Cap  au  Gres  bluff,  but  immediately  below  this  valley 
the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones  are  seen  standing  in  a  nearly  vertical 
position,  dipping  south  10°  west. 

The  following  wood  cut  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  relative  position  of  the 
strata  at  this  point,  showing  the  Cap  au  Gres  bluff  of  Lower  Silurian  strata  on 
the  left,  and  the  upturned  edges  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones  imme- 
diately below  it  on  the  right : 


o.    Trenton  Limestone. 
6.    St.  Peters  Sandstone. 


e.    Burlington  Limestone. 
dt.    Keokuk          " 


e.    St.  Louis  Limestone. 


CALHOUN  COUNTY.  O 

We  are  unable  to  fix  the  exact  period  when  this  disturbance  took  place,  but 
it  seems  to  have  been  anterior  to  the  coal  epoch.  This  is  indicated  by  the 
unconformability  of  the  coal  strata  to  the  underlying  limestones  on  the  north 
side  of  this  axis  in  Pike  and  Adams  counties,  where  the  Coal  Measures  rest 
unconformably  on  the  Keokuk  and  Burlington  limestones,  showing  that  these 
beds  had  been  elevated,  and  a  considerable  thickness  of  strata  removed  by 
denudation,  before  the  deposit  of  the  coal.  Southwest  of  this  axis,  the  coal  rests 
on  the  St.  Louis  limestone,  but  whether  exactly  conformable  to  it  or  not,  we 
can  not  say,  from  the  partial  exposures  we  were  able  to  examine. 

The  following  section  exhibits  the  different  formations  that  may  be  seen  in 
this  county,  showing  their  relative  position  and  thickness.  This  section  pre- 
sents a  thickness  nearly  equal  to  one-half  of  all  the  stratified  rocks  found  in 
the  State,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  middle  and  upper  Coal  Measures,  and 
the  Chester  group  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestone  series,  it  comprises  all 
the  important  divisions  of  the  paleozoic  strata  to  be  found  in  the  State. 

FEKT. 

Loess 40  to  60 

Drift,  clay  and  gravel _ 10  "  20 

Coal  Measures *. 100  "  120 

St.  Louis  limestone 200 

Keokuk  group 150 

Burlington  limestone 200 

Kinderhook  group 120 

Hamilton  limestone '.     6  "  15 

Niagara           "         50  "  75 

Cincinnati  group 80  "  120 

Trenton  limestone 350  "  400 

St.  Peters  Sandstone  . .  150 


Maximum  thickness .'. . .  1,630 

The  St.  Peters  Sandstone. — This  is  the  oldest  rock  appearing  above  the  sur- 
face in  this  county,  and  its  only  point  of  outcrop  is  at  the  Cap  au  Ores  bluff, 
on  section  30,  town  12  south,  range  2  west.  It  forms  the  lower  escarpment  of 
this  bluff,  which  is  about  a  mile  in  extent  on  the  river,  but  it  dips  strongly  to 
the  northeastward  and  disappears  below  the  succeeding  formations  so  rapidly, 
that  it  is  nowhere  seen  except  at  this  point.  The  lowest  portion  of  the  bed 
does  not  appear  above  the  surface,  but  there  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  thickness  exposed  at  the  lower  end  of  the  bluff,  which  gradually  passes  be- 
neath the  magnesian  beds  of  the  Trenton  group  towards  the  upper  extremity, 
making  its  entire  outcrop  along  the  river  a  little  more  than  a  mile  in  length. 
It  is  a  purely  silicious  rock,  made  up  of  minute  grains  of  quartz  that  are  some- 
times scarcely  cemented  at  all,  and  some  portions  of  it  readily  crumble  to  sand  on 
exposure.  Other  portions  of  the  mass  are  tolerably  well  cemented  by  the  infil- 
tration of  the  oxyd  of  iron,  and  the  rock  then  forms  a  bold  mural  precipice  along 


4  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

the  river  bank.     A  section  of  this  bluff,  made  nearly  midway  between  its  north- 
ern and  southern  extremities,  shows  the  following  order  : 

FEET 

Loess  capping  the  bluff <*** 

Light-gray  Trenton  limestone 8 

Brown  and  buff  magnesian  limestone TO 

St.  Peters  Sandstone 13° 

The  sandstone  is  irregularly  stratified,  and  often  concretionary,  showing  no 
well  defined  lines  of  bedding.  It  may  be  regarded  as  the  equivalent,  in  part, 
of  the  Calciferous  group  of  New  York,  and  corresponds  to  the  Saccharoidal 
sandstone  of  Missouri.  No  organic  remains  have  yet  been  found  in  it,  either 
in  this  State  or  elsewhere. 

Trenton  Group. — This  group,  as  it  is  developed  in  this  county,  consists  of 
brown  and  buff  magnesian  limestones  at  the  base  of  the  series,  which  attain  a 
thickness  of  about  seventy  feet.  These  are  succeeded  by  fine  grained,  compactj 
gray  and  chocolate  brown  limestones  forming  the  middle  divisions  of  the  series 
and  these  are  overlaid  by  a  rather  soft,  coarse  grained,  yellowish  gray  limestone, 
forming  the  upper  division  of  the  group.  Its  aggregate  thickness  may  be  estima- 
ted at  three  hundred  and  fifty  to  four  hundred  feet.  Its  most  northerly  outcrop 
in  this  county,  is  at  the  foot  of  the  Mississippi  bluffs,  about  three  miles  below 
Gilead  P.  0.,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  31,  town  11,  range  2  west, 
though  it  was  found  only  about  three  feet  below  the  surface  in  digging  a  well 
on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  29,  in  the  same  township.  The  rock  where 
it  first  appears  in  this  vicinity,  is  a  light  yellowish  gray,  coarse  grained  lime- 
stone, rather  soft  and  very  uneven  in  texture,  and  weathers  on  exposure  with 
an  uneven  and  ragged  surface.  It  is  rather  thin  bedded  at  the  top,  but  be- 
comes more  massive  below,  and  the  strata  rise  in  a  southerly  direction  so  rapidly 
that  about  two  miles  below  the  point  where  the  rock  first  appears,  it  forms  a 
perpendicular  cliff  from  eighty  to  a  hundred  feet  in  hight.  A  few  fossils  were 
obtained  from  these  coarse  grained  limestones,  among  which  were  Strophomena 
alternata,  Ortliis  lynx,  and  a  ramose  form  of  Chsetetes.  Below  this  coarse 
grained  limestone,  we  find  about  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  in  thickness  of  fine 
grained,  chocolate  colored,  thin  bedded  limestone.  It  weathers  to  an  ash  gray 
color,  and  the  strata  are  generally  from  two  to  four  inches  in  thickness. 

Descending  along  the  river  bluffs  below  the  outcrop  of  these  limestones,  we 
find  them  underlaid  by  a  series  of  light  gray,  compact,  fine  grained  limestones, 
partly  thin  bedded,  but  affording  some  massive  strata  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
series.  These  limestones  continue  to  form  the  main  portion  of  the  river  bluff 
down  to  the  small  creek  which  intersects  the  bluffs  just  above  the  Cap  au 

Ores  ferry  landing.     At  this  point  the  upper  layers  of  the  brown  and  buff 
limestones,  which  form  the  lower  division  of  the  group,  are  seen  just  above  the 

creek  level. 


CALHOUN  COUNTY,  5 

On  Cave  Spring  Branch,  a  small  creek  which  intersects  the  bluffs  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  above  the  ferry  landing,  the  upper  portion  of  the  Trenton  lime- 
stone is  well  exposed,  forming  the  bed  and  bluffs  of  the  creek  for  a  mile  or  more 
from  its  mouth.  The  thin  bedded,  chocolate  colored  limestone,  is  also  well  exposed 
on  this  creek,  and  is  here  quite  arenaceous  and  passes  into  a  fine  grained  calca- 
reous sandstone.  Some  of  the  light  gray  compact  limestones  below  this  choco- 
late colored  bed,  are  filled  with  marine  plants,  or  fucoides,  which  are  well  ex- 
posed on  the  weathered  surfaces  of  the  rock.  Trilobites  are  not  uncommon  in 
these  limestones,  and  fragments  of  Asaphus  megistos,  Ceraurus  pleurexanthemus, 
and  lllenus  ovatus  were  obtained  here.  They  are  associated  with  two  or  three 
species  of  Orthocera,  and  the  common  Brachiopoda  of  this  horizon. 

The  lowest  division  of  this  group  consists  of  evenly  bedded,  buff  or  brown 
dolomitic  limestones,  which  attain  a  thickness  of  about  seventy  feet,  and  are 
seen  overlying  the  St.  Peter's  sandstone  at  the  upper  end  of  the  Cap  au 
Ores  bluff,  the  only  point  where  they  are  found  well  exposed.  The  beds  vary 
in  thickness  from  four  inches  to  two  feet  or  more,  and  the  dip  is  so  strong  to 
the  northeastward,  that  this  division  of  the  group  only  outcrops  over  a  very 
limited  area,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  river  bluffs.  Indeed,  the  whole 
of  this  group,  nearly  or  quite  four  hundred  feet  in  thickness,  covers  in  its  out- 
crop in  this  county,  an  area  of  only  about  three  or  four  square  miles. 

Cincinnati  Group. — The  Trenton  limestone  is  immediately  overlaid  in  this 
county,  by  blue  and  green,  partly  indurated  clays,  which  attain  an  aggregate 
thickness  of  about  a  hundred  feet,  and  although  they  have  afforded  no  fossils, 
their  stratigraphical  position,  and  lithological  characters,  are  sufficient  to  deter- 
mine their  position  in  the  geological  series,  as  the  equivalents  of  the  Cincinnati 
group  of  our  general  section  of  the  Illinois  strata.  These  clays  are  seldom 
found  well  exposed,  but  partial  outcrops  are  occasionally  seen  on  the  slopes  of 
the  hills,  either  on  the  small  streams  or  gulches,  which  intersect  the  river  bluffs 
along  their  line  of  outcrop.  They  are  often  met  with  in  digging  wells  in  the 
region  which  they  underlie,  and  where  the  Upper  Silurian  limestone  is  want- 
ing, this  group  forms  low  rounded  hills,  or  gentle  slopes,  that  seldom  afford  any 
good  exposure  of  the  underlying  strata,  although  they  may  be  but  a  few  feet  be- 
neath the  surface.  Their  first  appearance  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  county 
on  descending  the  river  bluffs,  is  between  Hamburg  and  Gilead,  where  they  are 
occasionally  seen  cropping  out  beneath  the  Niagara  limestone,  which  here  forms 
the  upper  part  of  the  bluff.  When  exposed  at  the  surface,  they  form  a  tough, 
blue  plastic  clay,  very  much  like  the  potter's  clays  of  the  coal  formation.  On 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  19,  township  10,  range  2,  west,  they  outcrop 
beneath  the  Niagara  limestone,  and  extend  down  to  the  river  level  and  below, 
showing  a  thickness  above  the  river,  of  about  forty  or  fifty  feet.  Gradually 
rising  in  a  southerly  direction,  they  are  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Gilead  about 


6  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS 

one  hundred  feet  or  more  in  thickness,  but  seldom  well  exposed.  From  this 
point,  their  outcrop  trends  southeastwardly  across  the  county,  following  the 
direction  of  the  Cap  au  Ores  fault,  and  appearing  in  the  Illinois  river  bluffs, 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  in  the  vicinity  of  Monterey,  where  they  form 
the  base  of  the  bluff,  and  are  overlaid  by  the  Niagara  and  Hamilton  limestones. 
From  this  point  northward,  they  are  occasionally  seen  at  the  base  of  the  bluffs 
for  two  or  three  miles,  when,  with  a  gentle  northeasterly  inclination,  they  pass 
below  the  level  of  the  Illinois  bottoms,  and  are  seen  no  more.  No  calcareous 
or  arenaceous  strata,  were  found  associated  with  this  group  in  this  county,  and 
it  appears  to  be  composed  entirely  of  fine  argillaceous  sediments. 

Niagara  Limestone. — This  is  one  of  the  most  important  formations  in  the 
county,  and  is  well  exposed  at  many  points  in  the  river  bluffs,  on  both  the  east 
and  west  sides  of  the  county.  On  the  west,  it  appears  at  the  base  of  the  bluff 
near  the  north  line  of  the  county,  forming  a  low  bench  of  light  gray  limestone, 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  above  the  river  level,  and  thence  extends  down 
nearly  to  the  mouth  of  Bay  creek,  where,  by  an  indulation  of  the  dip,  it  sinks 
below  the  level  of  the  river,  and  does  not  appear  again  above  Hamburg.  At 
that  point  it  again  rises  above  the  river  level,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  small 
creek,  which  enters  the  river  on  the  lower  side  of  the  village,  there  is  an  out- 
crop of  the  upper  part  of  this  formation,  about  twenty  feet  in  thickness,  over 
which  the  creek  forms  a  cascade  just  above  its  mouth.  The  rock  is  here  a 
compact  bluish  gray  limestone  in  regular  beds,  from  six  inches  to  a  foot  in 
thickness.  It  has  a  moderate  dip  to  the  northward,  and  a  half  mile  below  this 
point,  where  another  creek  enters  the  river,  a  measured  section  showed  about 
forty-five  feet  of  this  limestone  above  the  river  level.  At  all  the  localities 
where  this  formation  was  seen,  from  the  north  line  of  the  county  to  a  point 
some  two  miles  below  Hamburg,  the  rock  is  of  a  bluish  gray  color,  and  usually 
even  bedded,  but  south  of  this,  it  changes  to  a  light  brown  or  buff  color,  and 
presents  the  characters  of  a  true  dolomite.  In  the  vicinity  of  Hamburg  it  is 
immediately  overlaid  by  a  brownish  gray,  arenaceous,  Devonian  limestone,  and 
this  is  succeeded  by  the  limestones  and  shales  of  the  Kinderhook  group.  The 
following  section  will  show  the  relations  of  these  different  formations  as  they 
appear  in  the  vicinity  of  Hamburg,  including  all,  to  the  highest  point  of  the 
bluff: 

FEET. 

Loess  forming  the  summit  of  the  bluff 60 

Burlington  limestone 40 

Shaley  ash  colored  limestones  (Kinderhook) 40 

Greenish  sandy  and  argillaceous  shales  (Kinderhook) 60  to  70 

Slaty  oolitic  limestones                                      "           10  to  15 

Fine  grained  light  blue  limestone                      "           4  to  20 

Green  shale                                                       «  1  to    3 

Hamilton  limestone  (Devonian) 4  to    8 

Niagara  limestone  (Up.  Silurian) 40  to  50 


CALHOUN   COUNTY.  7 

The  Niagara  limestone  extends  below  the  river  level,  at  all  the  exposures  in 
the  vicinity  of  Hamburg,  and  its  entire  thickness  is  not  seen.  On  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  19,  township  10  south,  range  2  west,  the  rock  was 
quarried  for  the  jail  at  Hardin.  At  the  base  of  this  formation  here,  where  it 
rests  on  the  blue  clays  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  we  find  from  two  to  four  feet  of 
light  gray  oolitic  limestone  forming  the  lower  beds,  which  are  overlaid  by  the  buff 
and  brown  dolornitic  limestones  in  which  the  quarries  for  building-stone  were 
opened.  These  beds  are  here  about  fifty  feet  in  thickness,  and  probably  comprise 
nearly  the  whole  thickness  of  the  Niagara  group  at  this  point,  for  on  the  adjoin- 
ing section,  on  the  small  creek  which  intersects  the  bluffs  on  section  18,  township 
10  south,  range  2  west,  the  Hamilton  limestone  is  found  in  place  overlying  the 
Upper  Silurian  strata. 

From  this  point  south,  to  a  point  a  mile  below  Grilead,  these  limestones  con- 
tinue to  show  themselves  in  occasional  outcrops,  forming  the  upper  portion  of  the 
bluff,  while  below,  there  is  a  sloping  talus,  underlaid  by  the  blue  argillaceous 
clays  of  the  Cincinnati  group.  Below  Gilead,  the  line  of  outcrop  of  the  Niag- 
ara limestone,  and  overlying  formation  recedes  from  the  river  bluffs,  and  is 
found  in  the  hills  from  one  to  two  miles  back,  towards  the  interior  of  the 
county.  It  continues  in  a  southerly  direction  to  section  28,  township  12  south, 
range  2  west,  where  its  trend  is  changed  to  the  eastward  across  the  county,  by 
the  disturbing  influences  that  caused  the  Gap  au  Ores  fault. 

Its  most  southerly  outcrop  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  is  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Stone  Church,  two  miles  below  Monterey,  where  about  twenty  feet  in 
thickness  of  buff  limestone  is  exposed,  and  has  been  quarried  for  building-stone 
in  this  neigborhood.  Between  this  point  and  Monterey  this  limestone  is  mostly 
hidden  under  the  overlying  Lower  Carboniferous  formations.  At  Mr.  C.  W. 
Twitchell's  place  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  10,  township  12  south, 
range  2  west,  this  limestone  has  been  quarried,  where  it  forms  a  precipitous 
bluff  some  forty  to  fifty  feet  high. 

At  the  point  of  the  bluff  above  Monterey  on  the  Hardin  road,  on  the  north, 
east  quarter  of  section  11,  in  the  same  township,  the  following  measured  sec- 
tion was  obtained: 

FT. 

Hamilton  limestone : 12 

Buff  colored  Niagara  limestones 50 

Covered  slope  with  partial  outcrops  of  blue  clays 48 

The  blue  clays  forming  the  lower  part  of  this  section  undoubtedly  belong  to 
the  Cincinnati  group,  and,  though  the  junction  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Silu- 
rian strata  could  not  be  seen  here,  it  is  probable  that  nearly  the  full  thickness  of 
the  Niagara  limestone  is  represented  in  the  above  section,  as  this  is  about  its  aver- 
age in  this  part  of  the  county.  From  this  point  northward  along  the  bluffs  of  the 
Illinois  river,  the  brown  and  buff  limestones  of  this  group  continue,  in  occa- 


8  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

sional  outcrops  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs,  for  about  six  or  eight  miles,  when  the 
color  of  the  beds  change  to  a  bluish  gray,  very  much  like  the  beds  in  the 
vicinity  of  Hamburg,  and  from  thence  northward,  only  a  few  feet  in  thickness  of 
the  upper  part  of  this  formation  is  seen.  A  half  mile  above  Hardin,  there  is  about 
twenty-five  feet  of  the  upper  part  of  this  formation  exposed  above  the  level  of 
the  river  at  low  water,  consisting  of  rough,  irregular  bedded,  bluish  gray  lime, 
stones.  From  this  point  northward,  to  the  small  creek  jvhich  empties  into  the 
Illinois  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  below  Farrowtown,  we  find  occasional 
outcrops  of  the  upper  part  of  this  limestone,  and  on  this  creek  which  is  the 
most  northerly  outcrop  known  on  this  side  of  the  county,  there  is  about  ten  or 
twelve  feet  of  the  upper  part  of  this  group  exposed,  consisting  of  even  bedded, 
fine  grained  limestones,  that  may  be  seen  for  a  distance  of  two  or  three  hun- 
dred yards  to  the  westward  of  the  road.  But  few  fossils  were  obtained  from 
this  formation  in  this  county,  though  the  beds  in  the  vicinity  of  Monterey 
seemed  to  be  quite  as  fossiliferous  as  this  rock  usually  is  in  this  portion  of  the 
State,  and  when  the  quarries  here  are  worked  to  any  considerable  extent,  as 
they  now  are  at  Grafton,  they  will,  no  doubt,  afford  a  good  many  interesting 
forms  of  organic  life. 

Hamilton  Limestone. — This  is  the  only  division  of  the  Devonian  system,  that 
has  been  identified  in  this  county,  and  consists  of  from  six  to  twelve  feet  of 
brownish  gray  limestones,  that  are  usually  very  hard  and  silicious,  and  some- 
times pass  into  a  coarse  quartzose  sandstone.  At  the  most  northerly  outcrops 
of  the  Niagara  limestone  in  this  county,  there  seems  to  have  been  no  develop- 
ment of  the  Hamilton  beds,  and  the  Upper  Silurian  limestones  are  immediately 
overlaid  by  the  shales  and  limestones  of  the  Kinderhook  group. 

-On  the  west  side  of  the  county,  the  first  exposure  of  this  limestone  met  with, 
below  the  north  line  of  the  county,  was  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  20, 
township  8  south,  range  3  west,  where  a  stratum  of  white  sandstone,  about  a 
foot  in  thickness,  was  found  resting  upon  the  Niagara  limestones.  No  fossils 
were  obtained  from  the  sandstone  at  this  locality,  but  further  south  a  similar 
sandstone  abounds  in  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this  group,  leaving  no  doubt 
as  to  the  age  of  these  arenaceous  strata.  In  the  bed  of  the  small  creek,  which 
enters  Bay  creek  about  five  miles  above  Hamburg,  there  is  about  six  feet  in 
thickness  of  coarse  brownish  gray  limestone  exposed,  filled  with  characteristic  De- 
vonian fossils,  among  which  are  two  or  three  species  of  Spirifers,  Atrypa  recticu- 
laris,  Orthis  lowcnsis,  and  several  of  the  common  corals  of  this  group,  among 
which  were  large  masses  of  a  coral  which  has  usually  been  referred  to  the  genus 
Acervularia,  and  has  been  called  A.  Davidsoni*  At  an  old  mill,  a  short  dis- 
tance below  this  point,  these  thin  bedded  limestones  were  eight  feet  in  thick- 

*0n  referring  this  coral  to  Dr.  Rominger,  of  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  one  of  our  best  authori- 
ties on  fossil  corals,  he  has  pronounced  it  a  true  Cyathophyttum. 


CALHOUN  COUNTY.  9 

ness,  and  were  overlaid  by  two  feet  of  green  shale,  which  was  succeeded  by 
the  fine  grained  light  blue  limestone  of  the  Kinderhook  group. 

At  Hamburg  this  limestone  is  also  exposed,  and  is  about  six  feet  in  thick- 
ness. The  upper  layers  are  quite  arenacious  and  pass  locally  into  a  quartzose 
sandstone.  From  this  to  Gilead,  this  limestone  was  met  with  at  every  locality 
examined,  where  its  proper  horizon  could  be  seen,  and  its  characteristic  fossils 
are  frequently  met  with,  weathered  out  on  the  sloping  hill-sides  below  its  out- 
crop. Just  below  Gilead,  its  outcrop  trends  eastwardly,  leaving  the  river  bluffs, 
and  it  was  next  seen  a  few  hundred  yards  to  the  eastward  of  the  Salt  Spring, 
on  section  16,  township  11  south,  range  2  west.  In  this  vicinity  it  is  quite 
silicious,  and  passes  into  a  sandstone,  which  is  filled  with  beautiful  silicious  casts 
of  some  of  its  most  characteristic  fossils.  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Wm.  Mc- 
Adams,  of  Otterville,  in  Jersey  county,  for  some  of  the  fossils  of  this  sandstone 
obtained  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Salt  Spring. 

The  most  southerly  point,  where  we  found  this  limestone  exposed  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  county,  is  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  11,  township 
12  south,  range  2  west,  just  above  Monterey,  where  it  caps  a  bluff  of  Niagara 
limestone.  It  is  here  quite  silicious  and  thin  bedded  at  the  top,  but  becomes 
more  massive  below.  At  Mr.  Belt's  place,  near  the  north  line  of  section  35, 
township  11,  range  2  west,  we  found  this  limestone  well  exposed,  and  a  quarry 
opened  in  it,  on  our  first  visit  to  the  county  in  1853.  The  bed  is  here  about 
twelve  feet  thick,  and  the  rock  is  quite  evenly  bedded,  the  layers  generally 
ranging  from  four  inches  to  a  foot  in  thickness.  It  abounds  in  fossils,  among 
which  are  Spirifer  Wortheni,  Atrypa  recticularis,  and  several  species  of  Za- 
phrentis  and  HeliopJiyllum.  From  this  point  northwardly,  this  limestone  may 
be  seen  outcropping  along  the  base  of  the  bluff,  nearly  to  the  north  line  of 
township  10  south,  range  2  west,  beyond  which  point  it  was  not  seen.  A  half 
mile  above  Hardin,  it  is  found  overlying  the  Niagara  limestone,  the  latter  for- 
mation occupying  the  lower  twenty  feet  or  more,  above  the  river  level.  It  is 
here  about  eight  feet  in  thickness,  the  lower  portion  quite  thin  bedded,  but 
becoming  at  the  top,  a  hard  grey  limestone,  in  thicker  strata.  Fossils  are  quite 
abundant  here,  especially  corals,  which  are  found  weathered  out  of  the  lime- 
stone, and  are  mingled  with  the  debris  composing  the  shingle  of  the  river 
bank.  This  limestone  is  closely  associated  with  the  Niagara  group,  which  it 
immediately  overlies  in  this  county,  and  its  outcrop  is  entirely  restricted  to 
localities  where  the  Niagara  limestone  also  appears  above  the  surface. 

KinderTiook  Group. — At  the  base  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  series  in  this 
State,  we  find  a  group  of  rocks,  mainly  sedimentary  in  their  origin,  consisting 
of  shales,  shaly  sandstones  and  thin  beds  of  limestone,  but  locally  becoming 
quite  calcareous,  and  passing  into  thin  bedded,  ash  colored,  shaly,  and  magne- 
sian  limestones.  At  some  points  in  this  county,  the  upper  portion  of  this  group 

—2 


10  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

is  represented  by  thin  bedded,  ash  colored,  shaly  limestones,  the  equivalent 
of  the  Chateau  limestone  of  the  Missouri  Report,  which  are  underlaid  by  sandy 
and  argillaceous  shales,  with  thin  beds  of  oolitic,  and  fine  grained  limestones  at 
the  base.  The  following  section,  made  in  the  vicinity  of  Hamburg,  will  show 
the  average  thickness,  and  order  of  succession,  of  the  various  beds  of  this  group : 

FEET. 

Thin  bedded  shaly  limestones 30  to  40 

Sandy^and  argillaceous  shales 40  to  50 

Oolitic  limestone 3  to  10 

Fine  grained,  light  blue  or  dove  colored  limestone 4  to  12 

Green  shale,  sometimes  partially  bituminous -    2  to  15 

These  beds  are  seldom  well  exposed  in  this  county,  as  they  underlie  the  Bur- 
lington limestone,  which  generally  forms  the  -upper  escarpment  of  the  bluffs, 
and  they  are  consequently  mostly  hidden  under  the  sloping  talus  beneath. 
From  the  north  line  of  the  county  to  Hamburg  on  the  west,  and  to  the  south 
line  of  town  11  south,  range  2  west,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  this 
group  may  be  found  in  partial  exposures  either  in  the  face  of  the  bluffs  below 
the  perpendicular  limestone  escarpment,  or  in  the  ravines  by  which  the  bluffs 
are  intersected.  In  the  vicinity  of  Hamburg  this  group  is  well  exposed  in  the 
banks  of  the  small  creek  just  below  the  village,  showing  exactly  the  order  of 
succession  to  be  seen  in  the  above  section.  The  green  shale  at  the  base  of  the 
group  rests  directly  upon  the  Hamilton  limestone,  and  may  be  the  representa- 
tive of  what  has  been  sometimes  called  "  Black-slate"  formation,  but  in  the 
absence  of  any  evidence  that  it  is  of  Devonian  age,  we  have  included  it  in 
this  group,  with  which  it  seems  to  be  identified  more  closely  than  with  the  beds 
below.  Above  this  we  find  the  light  bluish  gray  silicious  limestone,  sometimes 
called  the  "  Lithographic"  limestone,  which  is  variable  in  its  thickness  in  this 
county,  ranging  from  four  to  twenty  feet.  A  few  fossils  were  obtained  from 
this  rock  in  the  vicinity  of  Hamburg,  among  which  were  Producing  pyxidatus, 
Spirifer  Marionensis,  Cyrtia  acutirostris,  and  an  Orthis  like  0.  Michelini.  On 
the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  we  did  not  find  this  limestone  exposed.  It  re- 
received  the  name  of  "  Lithographic"  limestone  from  its  resemblance  to  the 
stone  used  in  lithography,  but  some  examples  of  it  which  have  been  tested  for 
that  purpose,  have  not  shown  the  necessary  qualities  of  a  good  lithographic 
stone.  It  is  regularly  stratified,  in  beds  varying  from  two  inches  to  a  foot  in 
thickness,  but  they  are  intersected  by  numerous  seams  and  cross  fractures,  so 
that  good  slabs  of  any  considerable  size  are  not  easily  obtained.  This  charac- 
ter alone  would  render  it  unfit  for  the  lithographer.  This  limestone  is 
succeeded  by  a  thin  bedded  oolitic  limestone,  which,  in  the  vicinity  of  Hamburg 
ranges  from  five  to  ten  feet  in  thickness,  and  splits  readily  into  thin  layers  of 
an  inch  or  less  in  thickness.  A  portion  of  it  is  quite  fossiliferous  in  the  vicinity 


CALHOUN   COUNTY.  11 

of  Hamburg,  and  has  afforded  the  following  species:  Rynchonetta  pustulosa, 
Spiriferina  subtexta,  Leda  fiarrisi,  and  a  Terebratula  resembling  T.  hastata. 
On  the  eastern  side  of  the  county  we  found  an  oolitic  rock  exposed  on  Mr. 
Whitaker's  place,  northwest  quarter  of  section  27,  town  8  south,  range  2  west, 
which  probably  should  be  referred  to  this  horizon.  The  lowest  rock  seen  at 
this  point  is  a  blue  argillaceous  shale,  with  some  thin  layers  of  limestone 
strongly  impregnated  with  the  sulphuret  of  iron.  This  shale  was  overlaid  by 
a  bed  of  oolitic  conglomerate,  closely  resembling  that  found  at  Rockport  in  Pike 
county.  It  is  here  from  four  to  five  feet  in  thickness,  one-half  of  which  con- 
stitutes but  a  single  layer,  and  the  remainder  is  in  thin  beds,  from  two  to  six 
inches  thick.  This  was  the  only  point  where  we  found  it  exposed  on  the  east- 
ern side  of  the  county. 

These  oolitic  beds  are  generally  succeeded  by  argillaceous  and  sandy  shales, 
which  vary  in  thickness  from  forty  to  eighty  feet,  and  are  argillaceous  at  the 
base  and  arenaceous  at  the  top,  passing  into  shaly  gritstones.  These  beds 
contain  but  few  well  marked  fossils  in  this  county,  except  a  large  fucoid,  like 
the  Cauda  Galli  of  the  New  York  corniferous  beds,  which  is  quite  abundant 
in  the  shaly  gritstones  of  this  group.  Its  occurrence  in  these  beds  has  been 
urged  as  an  evidence  of  the  Devonian  age  of  this  formation,  but  a  similar  fucoid 
is  found  high  up  in  the  Coal  Measures  in  Illinois,  and  hence  no  satisfactory 
conclusion  as  to  the  age  of  any  formation  could  be  predicated  upon  the  occur- 
rence of  this  peculiar  fossil  in  it.  At  Reed's  Landing^  in  the  northeast  part  of 
the  county,  this  fucoid  is  quite  abundant  in  the  thin  gritstones  which  form  the 
upper  portion  of  the  group  in  that  vicinity. 

At  Hamburg  the  upper  beds  of  this  group  become  calcareous,  and  form  an 
ash-gray  shaly  limestone,  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  or  more  in  thickness.  Some 
of  the  beds  are  magnesian  and  partly  concretionary  in  their  structure,  and  con- 
tain a  few  fossils,  among  which  are  Strophomena  analoga,  Euomphalus  latus 
and  Producing  semireticulatus.  It  may  be  that  these  magnesian  and  shaly 
limestones  are  the  stratigraphical  equivalents  of  the  lower  division  of  the  Bur- 
lington limestone,  but  they  contain  very  few  crinoidal  remains  here,  and  these 
are  generally  too  fragmentary  to  be  specifically  determined. 

About  three-quarters  of  a  mile  north  of  Brussels,  there  is  an  outcrop,  just 
above  the  level  of  the  Illinois  bottoms,  of  a  striped  purple  and  green  oolitic 
conglomerate.  The  quarry  exposes  about  four  feet  in  thickness  of  the  rock, 
which  lies  in  thin  beds  from  two  inches  to  a  foot  in  thickness.  It  is  overlaid 
by  about  three  feet  of  fine  grained  limestone,  apparently  the  equivalent  of  the 
so  called  "Lithographic"  limestone  of  the  Kinderhook  group.  No  similar  rock 
has  been  found  anywhere  else  in  the  State,  and  we  are  only  able  to  determine 
the  horizon  to  which  it  belongs,  from  its  connection  with  the  overlying  lime- 
stone. From  its  association  with  that  limestone  we  refer  it  without  hesitation 


12  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

to  this  group,  and  consider  it  as  probably  replacing  the  green  shale,  which 
forms  the  base  of  the  group  at  nearly  all  the  other  localities,  where  we  found 
the  lower  beds  exposed  in  this  county.  This  is  the  only  point  south  of  the 
Crip  au  Ores  axis,  where  we  met  with  any  exposure  of  the  Kinderhook  beds, 
in  the  county. 

Burlington  Limestone. — This  division  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  series,  out- 
crops over  a  wide  area  in  this  county,  and  forms  the  bed-rock  over  nearly  all 
the  high  lands  north  of  the  Cap  au  Ores  axis.  It  forms  the  upper  escarpment 
of  the  river  bluffs,  from  the  north  line  of  the  county,  to  Hamburg  on  the  west, 
and  to  the  vicinity  of  Monterey  on  the  east,  and  also  outcrops  on  most  of  the 
small  streams  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county.  Its  entire  thickness  ranges 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet,  but  it  is  usually  only  partially 
exposed,  a  considerable  portion  of  it  being  hidden,  either  in  the  covered  slope 
at  the  top  of  the  bluff,  or  in  the  sloping  talus  below. 

At  Reed's  Landing,  about  two  miles  and  a-half  below  the  north  line  of  the 
county,  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  are  about  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  bight, 
nearly  one-half  of  which  is  Burlington  limestone,  forming  a  natural  cliff  a 
hundred  feet  or  more  in  bight.     Below  the  limestone  cliff,  there  is  a  sloping 
talus,  to  the  level  of  the  bottoms  bordering  the  river,  covering  the  shales 
of  the  Kinderhook  group,  which  probably  extend  from  the  base  of  the  lime- 
stone down  to  the  river  level.     This  limestone  is  generally  coarse  grained  or 
granular  in  texture,  of  a  gray  or  brownish  gray  color,  and  tolerably  regular 
bedded,  the  strata  varying  from  four  inches  to  two  feet  in  thickness.     It  con- 
tains a  good  deal  of  cherty  or  flinty  material,  which  occurs  either  in  nodules,  or 
in  regular  seams  intercalated  in  the  limestone  strata.     The  term  "Crinoidal 
limestone"  which  has  sometimes  been  applied  to  this  rock,  is  very  applicable  to 
the  upper  portion  of  it  in  this  county,  as  it  is  almost  entirely  composed  of  the 
remains  crinoidea,  and  other  marine  animals,  cemented  by  calcareous  matter. 
The  chert  with  which  the  limestone  abounds,  is  also  filled  with  the  silicified 
remains  of  these  marine  animals,  and  it  affords  exquisite  casts,  in  flint,  of  the 
internal  structure  and  markings  of  many  of  the  organic  bodies  of  which  this 
limestone  is  so  largely  composed.     Casts  of  several  species  of  Actvnocrimu,  one 
species  of  Platycrinus  and  Granatocrinus  Norwoodi,  were  obtained  from  the  chert 
nodules  at  this  locality,  and  from  the  limestone  we  obtained  Spirifer  Grimesi, 
Strophomena  analoga,  and  Euomplialus  latus.     The  lower  portion  of  this  lime- 
stone here,  as  elsewhere  in  this  county,  consists  of  alternations  of  gray  and 
light  yellow,  or  brown,  earthy  or  magnesian  limestone,  only  slightly  crinoidal 
in  its  character,  but  finer  grained  and  more  compact  than  the  upper  beds.     It 
contains  very  few  well  preserved  crinoids,  though  detached  columns  and  crushed 
bodies  are  frequently  met  with.     In  some  respects,  these  brown  beds  would 
seem  to  correspond  to  the  lower  division  of  this  formation  at  Burlington,  Iowa, 


CALHOUN   COUNTY.  13 

but  the  fossils  obtained  here  are  too  few  and  imperfect  to  enable  one  to  identify 
the  strata  with  those  at  more  northern  localities,  where  fossils  are  abundant  and 
well  preserved.  From  Reed's  Landing  to  Farrowtown,  this  limestone  forms  a 
continuous  cliff,  except  where  it  is  intersected  by  the  vallies  of  the  small  streams, 
the  bluffs  ranging  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  hight. 

These  bluffs  continue,  with  but  slight  interruption,  to  Hardin,  where  they 
are  fully  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  hight,  the  upper  escarpment  being  formed 
by  the  lower  portion  of  the  Burlington  limestone,  the  sloping  talus  below  cov- 
ering shaly  limestones  and  shales  of  the  Kinderhook  group,  while  near  the 
river  level  we  find  the  upper  portion  of  the  Niagara  limestone,  overlaid  by  the 
Hamilton. 

The  following  section  shows  the  thickness,  and  order  of  succession  of  the 
beds  forming  the  bluff  a  half  mile  above  the  town  : 

FEET. 

Loess  capping  the  bluff. 30  to  40 

Burlington  limestone 70  "  80 

C  Thin  bedded  limestone  and  shale 80  "  85 

Kinderhook. ..  •<  Slaty  limestone 10 

(^  Fine  grained,  light  blue  limestone 5 

Hamilton  limestones 8  "  10 

0 

Niagara  limestone 20 

These  beds  are  mostly  hidden  beneath  the  sloping  talus  of  the  bluff,  except 
the  upper  and  lower  limestones,  the  former  outcropping  at  the  top  of  the  bluff 
and  the  latter  on  the  river  bank,  and  on  the  small  creeks  by  which  the  bluffs 
are  intersected. 

Following  down  the  river  bluffs,  below  Hardin,  these  beds  continue,  with  but 
slight  variation,  to  the  south  line  of  town  11  south,  range  2  west,  where  the 
high  bluffs  terminate  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  county.  At  Mr.  Belt's  place, 
about  three  miles  above  Monterey,  the  following  measured  section  was  made  in 
1853,  on  our  first  visit  to  this  county  : 

FT. 

Loess  capping  the  bluff,  not  measured. 

Burlington  limestone 50 

Shaly  ash  gray  limestones 95 

Blue  clay  shale 18 

Hamilton  limestone 12 

Slope  covering  Niagara  limestone 40 

Two  miles  below  this,  the  Burlington  limestone  disappears  for  about  two 
miles,  and  the  bluffs,  which  are  comparatively  low,  are  formed  by  the  older 
formations,  but  a  mile  below  Monterey,  it  comes  in  again,  capping  the  bluff  for 
a  short  distance,  with  a  strong  dip  to  the  northeastward  from  its  proximity  to 
the  Cap  au  Ores  axis.  It  extends  down  to  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  14, 
town  12  south,  range  2  west,  which  is  the  most  southerly  point  where  it  was  seen. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  fault,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  35,  town  12, 


14  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

range  2  west,  there  is  about  twenty-five  feet  in  thickness  of  this  limestone  to 
be  seen,  dipping  south  20°  west,  at  an  angle  of  about  24°.  This  is  the  most 
southerly  exposure  of  this  rock  that  has  been  seen  in  the  county. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  county,  on  the  north  line,  this  limestone  forms  the 
upper  escarpment  of  the  bluff,  and  in  crossing  the  county  from  Eeed's  Land- 
in<*  to  Bay  creek,  through  the  north  tier  of  townships,  it  forms  the  bed  rock 
over  all  the  highlands  between  the  two  rivers.  Following  down  the  Mississippi, 
it  forms  almost  continuous  exposures  along  the  bluffs  on  the  west  side  of  the 
county,  to  Hamburg,  where  the  upper  escarpment  of  the  bluff  is  formed  in 
part  of  this  limestone,  and  in  part  by  the  limestones  of  Kinderhook  group. 
From  this  point,  its  outcrop  trends  eastwardly,  and  the  underlying  formations 
take  its  place  in  the  river  bluffs,  but  it  continues  to  form  the  upper  portion  of 
the  dividing  ridge  between  the  two  rivers,  down  to  the  center  of  town  12  south, 
range  2  west,  which  is  its  most  southerly  point  of  outcrop  in  the  interior  of 
the  county,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Cap  au  Ores  fault.  Below  that  fault,  it 
is  only  seen  at  one  point  on  the  west  side  of  the  county,  where  the  upturned 
edges  of  its  nearly  vertical  strata,  constitute  the  first  rock  exposure  below  the 
Cap  au  Ores  bluff.  This  exposure  is  about  two  hundred  yards  below  the  south- 
ern terminus  of  the  sandstone  bluff,  and  the  strata  are  in  a  nearly  vertical  posi- 
tion, dipping  south  20°  west,  at  an  angle  of  at  least  60°.  A  measurement 
across  the  upturned  edges  of  the  strata,  indicated  a  thicknsss  of  about  two 
hundred  feet.  The  Kinderhook  shales  and  limestones  are  not  exposed  here, 
but  probably  underlie  a  part  of  the  valley  of  the  small  creek  which  enters  the 
river  at  this  point.  The  Keokuk  limestone  is  found  immediately  succeeding 
the  Burlington  here,  but  with  a  diminished  dip,  and  it  is  overlaid  by  the  St. 
Louis  limestone,  the  upper  portion  of  which  holds  a  nearly  horizontal  position. 
The  wood  cut  on  page  2  illustrates  the  position  of  the  various  formations  seen 
in  connection  with  this  fault,  much  more  clearly  than  any  verbal  description 
that  could  be  given. 

Keokuk  Limestone. — This  division  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  series  is  only 
met  with  at  the  single  locality  above  mentioned  in  this  county.  It  immedi- 
ately succeeds  the  Burlington  limestone  below  the  Cap  au  Ores  bluff,  and, 
although  the  dip  is  considerably  less  than  that  of  the  underlying  limestone,  it 
is  nevertheless  sufficiently  strong  to  carry  all  the  exposed  beds  of  this  group 
below  the  surface,  in  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Its  entire 
thickness  here,  probably,  does  not  exceed  one  hundred  feet,  though  an  accurate 
measurement  could  not  well  be  made  here.  The  upper  portion  appeared  to  be 
shaly,  and  was  filled  with  the  silicious  geodes,  characteristic  of  the  upper  part 
of  this  group  at  more  northern  localities.  The  lower  portion  was  composed  of 
gray  limestones,  similar  to  the  quarry  rock  at  Hamilton  and  Nauvoo.  On  the 
eastern  side  of  the  county,  it  should  be  found  between  the  outcrop  of  Burling- 


CALHOUN   COUNTY.  15 

ton  limestone,  on  section  35,  township  12  south,  range  2  west,  and  the  St. 
Louis  limestone,  which  appears  a  short  distance  below,  but  no  exposure  of  it 
was  found  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

St.  Louis  Group. — The  Keokuk  limestones,  at  the  outcrop  below  the  Cap 
au  Ores  bluff,  are  succeeded  by  beds  of  brown  magnesian  limestone,  some  sixty 
or  seventy  feet  in  thickness,  which  form  the  lower  division  of  this  group. 
They  dip  at  a  moderate  angle  in  the  same  direction  as  the  lower  beds,  and 
are  overlaid  by  compact  gray  limestones  which  are  nearly  horizontal  in  their 
position,  and  form  a  perpendicular  bluff  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  high.  From 
this  point  to  Johnson's  Landing,  these  gray  limestones,  which,  in  the  aggre- 
gate, are  probably  a  hundred  feet  or  more  in  thickness,  form  a  continuous  line 
of  bluffs  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  in  hight,  and  a  short  distance  back 
from  the  river  are  overlaid  by  the  Coal  Measures.  The  gray  limestones  which 
form  the  upper  portion  of  this  group  are  even  bedded,  and  partly  concretion- 
ary, or  brecciated  in  their  structure.  At  Johnson's  Landing,  now  better 
known  as  Bell's  Landing,  the  upper  portion  of  this  limestone  forms  the  bluff 
for  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  the  river  level,  consisting  of  compact  gray  and 
brown  limestones,  separated  by  partings  of  clay  shale,  in  which  the  fossil  corals 
of  this  group,  Lithostrotwn  canadense,  L.  prolifera,  and  an  undetermined  Syr- 
ingopora,  are  quite  abundant. 

Below  this  landing,  the  bluffs  of  the  river  trend  to  the  eastward,  and  some 
of  the  lower  beds  come  again  to  the  surface,  and  continue  gradually  rising  to 
the  old  town  site  of  Milan,  where  the  limestone  bluffs  end  on  the  western  side 
of  the  Illinois  river  valley.  On  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  below  the  Cap 
au  Ores  axis,  there  are  but  few  exposures  of  this  limestone,  although  it  un- 
doubtedly continues  along  the  bluffs  on  this  side  of  the  valley,  for  three  or  four 
miles  above  their  southern  extremity.  North  of  this  axis,  the  St.  Louis  lime- 
stone has  not  been  found  in  this  county,  but  south  of  that  point,  it  forms  almost 
the  entire  limestone  exposure. 

Coal  Measures. — This  formation,  like  the  St.  Louis  limestone,  is  restricted 
in  its  developments  to  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  and  is  found  under- 
lying a  considerable  portion  of  the  high  lands  below  the  Cap  au  Gres  axis. 
Commencing  about  two  miles  below  this  axis,  it  underlies  the  highest  portion 
of  the  county,  in  township  13,  in  ranges  1  and  2  west,  though  exposures  of  the 
strata  are  rarely  met  with,  and  consequently  its  boundaries  cannot  be  very  defi- 
nitely determined.  The  only  coal  mine  that  has  been  worked  to  any  extent  in 
this  county,  is  Williams's  mine,  located  on  a  fraction  of  section  1,  township  14, 
range  2  west,  about  one  mile  above  Frjiitland,  and  two  miles  above  Bell's,  for- 
merly Johnson's  Landing.  These  mines  were  opened  nearly  twenty  years  ago, 
and  have  been  worked,  at  intervals,  down  to  the  present  time.  The  following 
section,  made  at  these  mines,  will  show  the  character  and  succession  of  the 


16  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

beds,  and  is,  perhaps,  as  complete  a  section  of  the  Coal  Measure  deposits  as 

could  be  made  at  any  locality  in  the  county : 

FT.   IN. 

Brown  shale 6 

Hard,  gray,  concretionary  limestone 4  to  6 

Covered  slope,  with  partial  outcrops  of  shale 50 

Brown,  sandy  'shale 15 

Coal 

Clay  shale  and  iron  ore 2       6 

Coal 2       2 

Fire  clay .' 2  to  3 

Clay  shale,  passing  downward  into  bituminous  shale. 12 

Sandstone  and  sandy  shale " 20  to  25 

St  Louis  limestone,  to  river  level 30 

i 
The  main  coal  seam  at  this  point,  ranges  from  twenty-four  to  thirty  inches 

in  thickness,  and  affords  a  coal  of  fair  quality,  though  as  the  work  had  been 
suspended  for  some  time  when  we  last  visited  the  locality,  the  opportunity  for 
examining  the  coal  was  not  as  good  as  could  be  desired.  It  seemed  to  be 
rather  free  from  pyrites,  and  the  analysis,  which  will  be  found  on  a  subsequent 
page,  shows  its  quality  to  be  fully  equal  to  the  average  of  western  bituminous 
coals.  It  is  overlaid  by  about  thirty  inches  of  clay  shale,  the  upper  part  of 
which  is  quite  ferruginous,  and  forms  an  impure  iron  ore  about  a  foot  in  thick- 
ness. Above  this,  there  is  another  thin  seam  of  coal,  which  was  four  inches 
thick  at  the  only  point  where  we  found  it  exposed.  These  coals  are  overlaid 
by  a  thick  bed  of  brown  shale,  which  was  only  partly  exposed,  but  appeared  to 
be  about  sixty-five  feet  in  thickness,  above  which  was  a  bed  of  hard,  gray,  con- 
cretionary limestone,  from  four  to  six  feet  or  more  in  thickness,  and  above  this 
we  saw  a  few  feet  of  brown  shale,  which  was  the  highest  bed  of  the  Coal  Meas- 
ure series  met  with  in  the  county.  The  concretionary  limestone  contained  a 
number  of  species  of  Coal  Measure  fossils,  among  which  we  collected,  Spirifer 
lineatus,  Athysis  subtilita,  Terebratula  lovidens,  Productus  semiretkulatus,  Fusu- 
lina,  sp?  andjoints  of  crinoidea,  and  small  turbinated  corals. 

Below  the  main  coal  seam  there  are  two  or  three  feet  of  fire  clay,  which 
passes  downward  into  a  black  shale,  which  is  said  to  have  been  reached  at  the 
depth  of  fourteen  feet  below  the  coal,  but  was  not  penetrated.  This  black 
shale  probably  represents  another  coal  seam,  which  may  be  developed  at  some 
point  in  the  county  thick  enough  to  be  worked.  Between  this  and  the  St. 
Louis  limestone,  we  found  a  partial  outcrop  of  sandy  shale  and  sandstone  about 
twenty-five  feet  in  thickness,  which  forms  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measure  de- 
posits in  this  county.  The  Coal  Measures,  as  developed  here,  seem  to  include 
the  horizon  of  at  least  three  coal  seams,  the  lowest  being  represented  by  the 
black  shale ;  but  so  far  as  could  be  learned  from  the  few  openings  made  in  at- 
tempting to  mine  coal  in  this  county,  only  one  seam  has  yet  been  found  of 


CALHOUN   COUNTY.  17 

sufficient  thickness  to  be  worked.  On  Mr.  Wm.  Love's  place,  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  10,  township  13,  range  2  west,  the  gray  concretionary  lime- 
stone which  is  found  sixty-five  feet  above  the  coal  at  Williams's  mine,  outcrops 
on  the  south  side  of  the  hill,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  his  dwelling  ; 
and  probably  the  whole  thickness  of  the  measures,  as  developed  in  this  county, 
are  to  be  found  here,  though  there  is  no  exposure  of  the  beds  below  this  lime- 
stone in  this  vicinity.  Coal  has  been  found  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
26,  on  the  northeast  of  36,  and  on  the  northeast  of  24,  township  13,  range  2 
west,  and  the  Coal  Measures,  probably,  underlie  fully  one-half  of  the  highlands 
in  township  13,  ranges  1  and  2,  in  this  county. 

Quaternary  System. — This  system  is  represented  in  Calhoun  county,  by  the 
three  most  common  divisions,  Alluvium,  Loess,  and  Drift.  The  alluvial  de- 
posits are  mainly  restricted  to  the  bottom  lands  which  skirt  the  Illinois  and 
Mississippi  rivers  on  three  sides  of  the  county,  except  between  Gap  au  Ores 
and  Milan,  where  the  limestone  bluffs  jut  boldly  out  to  the  river's  edge.  On 
the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river  to  Monterey, 
the  bottom  lands  average  nearly  three  miles  in  width,  but  above  Monterey  they 
grow  narrower,  and  range  from  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half  in 
width.  A  considerable  portion  of  these  bottom  lands  are  prairie,  and  are  the 
only  natural  prairie  lands  in  the  county.  In  the  northwestern  portion  of  the 
county,  there  is  a  belt  of  bottom  land,  lying  between  Bay  creek  and  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  which  is  about  four  miles  wide  at  the  county  line,  but  grows 
narrower  to  the  mouth  of  Bay  creek,  where  it  is  not  more  than  half  a  mile  in 
width.  The  most  of  these  bottom  lands  are  dry  enough  for  cultivation,  and 
are  among  the  most  productive  and  valuable  lands  in  the  county. 

Drift. — The  drift  deposits  in  this  county,  probably  nowhere  exceed  forty  or 
fifty  feet  in  thickness,  but  they  cover  nearly  all  the  uplands  in  the  county,  ex- 
cept at  some  points  along  the  summit  of  the  bluffs,  from  whence  they  have 
been  removed  by  denudation.  They  consist  of  brown  clays,  some  of  which  are 
quite  free  from  gravel,  with  some  bluish  beds  containing  gravel  and  boulders 
of  considerable  size,  but  good  exposures  of  these  beds,  except  a  few  feet  of  the 
upper  portion,  are  seldom  to  be  seen,  as  there  are  no  railroad  grades,  or  other 
artificial  cuts  through  this  formation  in  this  county.  Where  the  yellow  clays 
of  this  deposit  covers  the  surface,  they  form  a  heavy  clay  soil,  rather  hard  to 
work,  but  quite  productive  where  there  is  a  natural  surface  drainage. 

Loess. — This  formation  consists  of  buff,  brown,  or  ash  colored,  marly  clays, 
or  sandy  marls,  usually  quite  distinctly  stratified.  It  caps  the  river  bluffs  in 
nearly  all  parts  of  the  county,  and  is  also  frequently  found  filling  the  lateral 
valleys  by  which  the  bluffs  are  intersected.  Just  below  Grilead,  the  bluffs,  as 
well  as  the  hills,  for  a  mile  or  more  back  from  the  bluffs,  are  composed  mainly 
or  entirely  of  Loess,  which  is  here  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  in  thick- 
—3 


18  GEOLOGY   OF    ILLINOIS. 

ness.  At  this  point,  it  appears  to  occupy  the  eastern  portion  of  an  ancient 
valley,  excavated  by  some  cause  in  operation  before  the  formation  of  the  exist- 
ing rivers,  but  now,  in  part  occupied  by  them,  and  also  in  part,  by  the  alluvial 
deposits  to  which  they  have  given  origin.  The  hills  around  the  Salt  Spring, 
and  between  that  and  the  bottom  lands  on  the  Mississippi,  are  composed  of 
Loess.  Where  these  marly  deposits  are  subjected  to  a  leaching  process,  they 
contain  numerous  calcareous  concretions,  some  of  which  assume  fantastic  forms 
like  the  "  clay  stones  "  of  the  Connecticut  valley,  but  more  frequently  they  as- 
sume an  irregularly  spherical  form,  and  are  known  by  the  popular  name  of 
"  petrified  potatoes."  Bleached  specimens  of  .the  living  species  of  land  and  fresh 
water  shells  of  the  adjacent  region  are  found  in  this  deposit,  and  it  frequently 
affords  the  teeth  and  bones  of  extinct  Mammalia,  but  we  are  not  aware  that 
any  have  been  found  in  it,  in  this  vicinity. 

Economical     Geology* 

Building  Stone. — No  county  in  the  State  contains  a  greater  variety,  or  more 
abundant  supply  of  excellent  building  stone  than  this.  First  in  value  and  im- 
portance, is  the  Niagara  limestone,  which  outcrops  along  the  river  bluffs  on  the 
west  side  of  the  county,  from  Hamburg  to  Gilead,  and  thence  trending  back 
for  a  mile  or  two  from  the  river  bluffs,  it  continues  southward  nearly  to  Cap 
au  Gres,  whence  it  bends  abruptly  east  across  the  narrow  divide  between  the 
Illinois  and  the  Mississippi  to  Monterey.  The  whole  thickness  of  the  forma- 
tion is  exposed  here,  and  from  this  point  it  extends  northwardly  on  the  east 
side  of  the  county,  appearing  occasionally  in  outcrops  at  the  base  of  the  bluffs, 
as  far  north  as  Farrowton,  opposite  to  Columbiana.  At  all  the  outcrops  seen 
between  Gilead  and  Monterey,  this  limestone  is  an  evenly  bedded  buff  or  brown 
dolomite,  very  similar  to  the  rock  at  Joliet  and  Grafton,  and  fully  equal  in 
quality  to  the  building  stone  obtained  from  either  of  the  above  named  locali- 
ties. The  only  drawback  to  the  immediate  availability  of  this  valuable  build- 
ing material,  is  its  situation,  a  mile  or  more  distant  from  the  Illinois  river  on 
the  east,  and  about  a  half  mile  from  the  Mississippi,  on  the  west;  but  this 
difficulty  could  be  readily  overcome,  by  the  construction  of  a  cheap  railroad 
track  i'rom  the  quarries  to  the  river  bank.  This  formation  is  from  fifty  to 
seventy-five  feet  in  thickness  in  this  county,  and  the  whole  mass  in  townships 
11  and  12  south,  is  an  evenly  bedded  buff,  or  brown  magnesian  limestone,  and 
equal  in  quality  to  any  building  stone  to  be  found  in  the  State. 

In  the  northern  portion  of  the  county,  the  Burlington  limestone  outcrops 
along  the  river  bluffs,  and  on  most  of  the  small  streams.  It  affords  a  very  good 
building  stone,  though  not  equal  to  that  afforded  by  the  Niagara  limestone. 
The  upper  part  of  the  formation  is  a  coarse,  semi-crystaline  limestone,  that  is 


CALHOUN  COUNTY.  19 

easily  cut,  stands  exposure  well  in  a  dry  wall,  and  is  a  useful  rock  for  all  the 
ordinary  purposes  for  which  a  good  building  stone  is  required.  Along  the 
river  bluffs,  and  on  the  small  streams  it  can  be  quarried  very  cheaply,  and 
will,  eventually,  come  into  very  general  use  for  farm  buildings,  fences,  etc. 

Between  Hardin  and  Monterey,  several  quarries  have  been  opened  in  the 
Hamilton  limestone,  which  affords  a  very  good  material  for  foundation  walls, 
but  the  rock  is  much  harder  to  work  than  that  from  the  Niagara  or  Burlington 
beds.  On  the  west  side  of  the  county  this  rock  is  too  thin  bedded  to  be  of 
much  value  as  a  building  stone,  and,  locally,  becomes  quite  arenaceous,  and 
passes  into  a  quartzose  sandstone.. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Cap  an  Gres,  the  Trenton  group,  which  is  from  three 
hundred  and  fifty  to  four  hundred  feet  thick,  could  be  made  available  for  build- 
ing material,  and  the  magnesian  limestone,  which  constitutes  the  lowest  mem- 
ber of  the  series,  is  an  evenly  bedded  rock,  and  would  furnish  a  building  stone 
nearly,  or  quite  equal  to  the  dolomites  of  the  Niagara  group.  From  the  favor- 
able position  of  its  outcrop,  near  the  top  of  the  Cap  au  Gres  bluff,  extensive 
quarries  could  be  opened  at  this  point,  at  a  very  moderate  expense,  and  the 
rock  could  be  transferred  directly  on  to  lighters  or  barges,  and  towed  to  any 
point  on  the  river  where  a  good  building  stone  was  in  demand. 

Below  the  Cap  au  Gres  axis,  the  St.  Louis  limestone  is  the  prevailing  rock, 
and  forms  a  continuous  limestone  cliff  along  the  river  to  the  old  town  site  of 
Milan,  the  termination  of  the  bluffs  on  the  Mississippi,  in  this  county.  This 
limestone  makes  a  very  durable  building  stone,  but  is  much  harder  than  the 
magnesian  limestones  of  either  the  Trenton  or  Niagara  groups.  It  is,  for  the 
most  part,  a  thin  bedded,  light  gray  limestone,  but  contains  some  layers  thick 
enough  for  dimension  stone,  and  the  outcrops  in  this  county  would  furnish  an 
inexhaustible  supply  of  building  stone  of  a  fair  quality. 

Limestone  for  Lime. — The  best  material  for  the  manufacture  of  quick  lime 
in  this  county,  is  supplied  in  great  abundance  by  the  St.  Louis  limestone, 
which  may  be  made  available  for  this  purpose  at  almost  any  point  where  it  out- 
crops along  the  river,  for  a  distance  of  more  than  twenty  miles.  Some  beds  in 
this  formation,  however,  are  arenaceous,  and  contain  too  great  a  proportion  of 
silicious  or  argillaceous  material,  to  be  readily  converted  into  lime,  while  others 
are  a  nearly  pure  carbonate  of  lime  in  their  composition,  and  make  a  very  pure 
white  lime.  The  outcrop  of  this  formation  for  so  great  a  distance  along  the 
river,  in  the  most  favorable  position  for  carrying  on  this  branch  of  manufac- 
tures, renders  this  one  of  the  most  eligible  points  on  the  river  for  prosecuting 
this  business  on  a  large  scale.  The  kilns  could  be  constructed  so  near  the 
river,  that  the  manufactured  article  could  be  readily  transferred  on  board 
steamboats,  or  barges,  thereby  saving  all  expense  of  land  transportation ;  and 
the  overlying  coal  beds,  which  outcrop  in  close  proximity  to  the  limestone, 


20  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

would  furnish  a  cheap  and  abundaut  supply  of  fuel ;  so  that  the  most  favora- 
ble conditions  exist  here,  apparently,  for  the  prosecution  of  this  business  on  an 
extensive  scale.  In  the  northern  and  central  portions  of  the  county,  the  Bur- 
lington limestone  is  the  only  rock  that  can  be  made  available  for  this  purpose, 
except  between  Gilead  and  Cap  au  Gres,  where  the  Trenton  limestones  are 
found,  a  portion  of  which  seem  to  afford  a  good  material  for  this  purpose. 
None  of  the  limestones  of  these  groups,  however,  afford  as  pure  a  lime  as  some 
of  the  beds  of  the  St.  Louis  series,  nor  do  they  outcrop  generally  under  such 
favorable  conditions,  for  the  manufacture  of  lime. 

Glass  Sand. — The  St.  Peters  sandstone,  of  which  nearly  one  hundred]  and 
fifty  feet  in  thickness  is  exposed  at  the  Cap  au  Gres  bluff,  in  this  county,  will 
furnish  an  excellent  white  sand  for  the  manufacture  of  glass,  in  great  abund- 
ance. No  other  rock  in  the  Mississippi  valley  furnishes  a  sand  for  this  pur- 
pose, equal  to  that  obtained  from  this  formation,  and  at  the  point  above  men- 
tioned, the  supply  of  this  material  is  absolutely  inexhaustible,  and  the  outcrop 
is  so  situated,  that  the  material  could  be  transferred  directly  from  the  quarry 
on  to  steamboats,  or  barges,  and  cheaply  transferred  to  any  point  on  the  river, 
where  it  might  be  desirable  to  establish  glass  manufactories.  At  La  Salle,  this 
business  is  already  established,  and  the  material  is  obtained  from  an  outcrop  of 
this  sandstone  in  that  county,  and  there  is  no  apparent  reason  why  the  manu- 
ture  of  glass  should  not  be  successfully  carried  on  here  as  well  as  there. 

Minerals. — Small  pieces  of  the  sulphuret  of  lead,  or  "  galena,"  have  been 
found  in  the  superficial  deposits  of  this  county,  as  well  as  in  various  other  por- 
tions of  the  State,  and  their  discovery  has  led  to  considerable  speculation  as  to 
the  probability  of  finding  lead  mines  in  this  region;  but,  although  the  entire 
thickness  of  the  Trenton  group,  (the  true  lead-bearing  formation  of  the  North- 
west) is  well  exposed  here,  we  found  no  indications  of  its  being  a  mineral-bear- 
ing deposit  in  this  portion  of  the  State.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  entirely  differ- 
ent, in  its  lithological  characters,  from  the  lead-bearing  rocks  of  the  Northwest 
being  here  a  rather  soft,  coarse  grained,  yellowish  gray  limestone,  exhibiting 
nowhere  in  this  region  the  magnesian  character  that  every  where  prevails  in 
the  lead  producing  rocks,  of  Lower  Silurian  age.  It  is  probable  the  few  spe- 
cimens of  galena  found  in  this  county,  have  been  transported  from  the  northern 
lead  mines  by  drift  agencies,  as  both  galena  and  native  copper  are  frequently 
found  in  the  drift  deposits  in  various  portions  of  the  State,  and  under  conditions 
that  show  that  they  have  no  relation  with  the  underlying  formations.  Even 
if  the  specimens  of  lead  ore  that  are  reported  to  have  been  found  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  outcrop  of  the  Trenton  limestone  in  this  county,  really  came  from  that 
formation,  they  have  not  indicated  the  presence  of  such  an  amount  of  lead  in 
the  rock  formations  of  this  county,  as  would  justify  the  expectation  of  their 
affording  productive  lead  mines.  The  same  agency,  by  which  boulders  of 


CALHOUN  COUNTY.  21 

granite,  sienite,  and  other  metarnorphic  and  igneous  rocks,  have  been  trans- 
ported from  localities  hundreds  of  miles  to  the  northward,  would  also  account 
for  the  occurrence  in  the  drift  material  in  which  they  are  imbedded,  of  any 
other  mineral  or  rock  that  is  known  to  occur  in  the  direction  from  which  the 
great  mass  of  the  drift  material  has  come. 

Iron,  both  in  the  form  of  a  carbonate  and  of  a  sulphuret,  occurs  in  the  Coal 
Measures  in  this  county.  The  carbonate  is  most  commonly  met  with  in  the 
form  of  nodules  or  "  kidney  ore,"  in  the  shales  associated  with  the  coal,  while 
the  sulphuret  occurs  in  the  coal  itself,  as  well  as  in  the  shales,  in  yellow  or  sil- 
very gray  crystals,  and  often  forming  nodular  concretions  of  considerable  size. 
The  sulphuret  is  worthless  as  an  ore  of  iron,  and  is  only  useful  when  it  occurs 
in  large  quantities,  for  the  manufacture  of  copperas  and  alum,  both  of  which 
may  be  obtained  from  it.  The  carbonate  is  a  valuable  ore  for  the  production  of 
metalic  iron,  whenever  it  can  be  found  in  sufficient  quantity  to  justify  the 
establishment  of  a  furnace.  The  shales  forming  the  roof  of  Williams's  coal, 
are  highly  ferruginous,  and  there  is  about  a  foot  in  thickness  of  impure  iron  ore 
between  the  main  coal  seam  and  the  thin,  four-inch  seam  above  it,  at  the  only 
locality  where  we  found  an  exposure  of  the  shales  forming  the  roof  of  this  coal. 
Nodules  of  the  carbonate  of  iron  "were  also  seen  at  other  points,  which  had,  no 
doubt,  come  from  the  shales  of  the  Coal  Measures,  but  we  met  with  no  body 
of  iron  ore  in  this  county,  where  it  seemed  to  be  in  sufficient  quantity  to  be- 
come valuable  for  the  production  of  iron. 

Coal. — Although  there  is  a  development  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  in  thickness  of  strata  belonging  to  the  Coal  Measures,  in  this  county,  in- 
cluding the  horizon,  of  at  least  three  seams  of  coal,  only  one  has  yet  been  found 
thick  enough  to  pay  for  working.  This  seam  has  been  partially  opened  at  sev- 
eral points  in  the  county,  but  no  systematic  mining  seems  to  have  been 
attempted,  except  at  Williams's  mine,  situated  in  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  about  a  mile  above  Fruitland  Landing.  The  coal  is  here  about  twenty- 
six  inches  thick,  of  good  quality,  and  apparently  quite  free  from  the  sulphuret 
of  iron.  An  analysis  of  this  coal,  by  Mr.  Henry  Patten,  reported  in  Norwood's 
"Analysis  of  Illinois  Coals,"  gave  the  following  results: 

Specific  gravity 1.2631 

Loss  in  coking 45.7 

Total  weight  of  coke 54.3 

100.00 

Analysis:  Moisture 4.8 

Volatile  matters 40.9 

Carbon  in  coke 49.1 

Ashes  (brown) 5.2 

100.00 

Carbon  in  coal 53.06 

Without  a  more  complete  exposure  of  the  strata,  and  in  the  absence  of  fossils, 
both  animal  and  vegetable,  in  connection  with  this  coal  seam,  it  is  difficult  to 


22  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

say  exactly  where  this  seam  belongs  in  the  general  section  of  the  Coal  Measures, 
but  from  the  appearance  of  the  coal,  as  well  as  from  the  stratigraphical  position 
which  it  occupies,  I  am  inclined  to  regard  it  as  No  2,  or  the  equivalent  of  the 
Murphysboro  and  Colchester  coals.  It  is  not  very  uncommon  to  find  this  seam 
divided  as  it  is  here,  and  sometimes  it  is  so  equally  divided  that  neither  divi- 
sion is  thick  enough  to  be  worked  separately.  If  this  conclusion  is  confirmed, 
then  No.  1  would  be  represented  by  the  black  shale  said  to  have  been  penetra- 
ted at  the  depth  of  about  fifteen  feet  below  the  main  seam,  and  No.  3  would 
belong  about  the  horizon  of  the  concretionary,  gray  limestone  that  lies  about 
sixty-five  feet  above  it.  But  little  has  yet  been  done  towards  developing  the 
coal  in  this  county,  although  the  mines  were  opened  in  the  river  bluffs  at  an 
early  day,  and  have  been  worked  at  intervals  for  years.  This  seam  has  only 
been  opened  at  two  or  three  points,  away  from  the  river,  where  the  coal  was 
found  outcropping  in  the  ravines  by  which  the  Coal  Measures  are  intersected. 
Coal  seams  no  thicker  than  this,  are  worked  with  profit  in  many  portions  of  the 
State,  where  the  market  facilities  are  no  better  than  they  are  here,  where  the 
outcrop  is  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  coal  would  all  find  a  ready 
market  without  incurring  the  expense  and  risk  of  transportation. 

Brine  Springs. — On  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  16,  town  11  south, 
range  2  west,  there  is  a  large  sulphur  spring,  slightly  impregnated  with  salt. 
The  water  is  said  to  have  been  a  much  stronger  brine  formerly  than  now,  but  a 
boring  was  made  to  the  depth  of  198  feet,  which  changed  the  character  of  the 
water  flowing  from  the  spring,  so  that  it  is  now  a  strong  sulphur  water,  but  so 
strongly  impregnated  with  salt  as  to  render  it  rather  unpalatable.  This  spring 
flows  out  from  the  horizon  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  but  the  water  probably  comes 
from  the  Trenton  limestone,  or  else  comes  up  through  a  crevice  in  that  rock 
from  some  old  formation,  as  that  limestone  was  struck  in  the  well  at  a  depth  of 
twenty-two  feet.  Fine  springs  of  fresh  water  abound  in  the  central  and  north- 
ern portions  of  the  county,  where  the  Burlington  limestone  is  the  prevailing 
rock. 

Soil  and  Agriculture. — The  surface  over  a  large  portion  of  the  uplands  in  this 
county,  is  quite  broken  and  hilly,  and  in  some  portions  the  hills  are  too  steep 
for  cultivation,  but  the  soil  is  excellent,  being  generally  predicated  upon  the 
Loess,  and  as  a  fruir,  growing  region  it  is  hardly  surpassed  by  any  portion  of 
the  State.  The  soil  is  generally  a  chocolate  colored  clay  loam,  such  as  we  gen- 
erally find  over  the  regions  adjacent  to  the  river  bluffs,  where  it  rests  upon  the 
Loess.  It  has  a  complete  surface  drainage  from  the  rolling  character  of  the 
country,  and  is  very  productive  in  all  the  cereals  and  fruits  of  a  temperate  cli- 
mate. This  county  has  but  recently  attracted  the  attention  of  horticulturists, 
and  a  number  of  extensive  fruit  farms  have  been  opened  within  the  past  five 
years.  Extensive  peach  and  apple  orchards  are  already  in  bearing,  and  show 


CALHOUN  COUNTY,  23 

by  their  healthy  appearance  and  abundant  crops  of  fruit,  the  complete  adapta- 
tion of  the  soil  on  these  uplands  to  the  cultivation  of  fruit.  A  good  many  vine- 
yards have  been  planted  in  this  county,  and  have  generally  produced  abundantly, 
yielding  most  satisfactory  returns  for  the  capital  and  labor  expended. 

The  bottom  lands  in  this  county  are  exceedingly  productive,  and  yield  annu- 
ally large  crops  of  corn,  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  grass,  and  may  be  fairly  ranked 
among  the  most  valuable  and  fertile  lands  in  the  State.  Calhoun  county  has 
been  entirely  under-estimated  as  to  its  value  as  an  agricultural  region,  and  when 
its  uplands  are  planted  with  orchards  and  vineyards,  and  its  rich  alluvial  bot- 
toms are  covered  with  the  cereals  to  which  they  are  adapted,  it  will  compare 
favorably,  in  the  amount  and  variety  of  its  annual  productions,  with  the  most 
favored  portions  of  the  State. 

In  closing  my  report  on  this  county.  I^desire  to  express  my  acknowledgments 
to  Capt.  Wm.  H.  Reed,  of  Reed's  Landing,  and  his  excellent  lady,  for  the  cor- 
dial hospitality  of  their  pleasant  home,  which  they  so  kindly  extended  to  me 
while  engaged  in  prosecuting  my  examinations  in  the  northern  part  of  this 
county,  and  also,  in  behalf  of  the  State,  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  valuable 
specimens  of  minerals,  fossils  and  Indian  antiquities,  contributed  by  them  to 
the  State  cabinet.  To  their  little  daughter,  Miss  Eliza  Reed,  the  State  collec- 
tion is  also  indebted  for  a  beautiful  fossil  crinoid,  found  by  her  in  the  Burling- 
ton limestone,  in  the  vicinity  of  their  residence. 


CHAPTER    II. 

PIKE    COUNTY. 

Pike  county  lies  between  the  two  great  rivers,  the  Illinois  and  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  is  bounded  on  the  north,  by  Adams  and  Brown  counties  ;  on  the 
east,  by  the  Illinois  river ;  on  the  south,  by  Calhoun  county ;  and  on  the  west, 
by  the  Mississippi.  It  embraces  a  superficial  area  of  about  twenty-one  town- 
ships, or  seven  hundred  and  fifty-six  square  miles,  and  the  surface  is  generally 
rolling,  and  on  the  borders  of  the  streams  it  is  quite  broken  and  hilly.  A 
large  proportion  of  the  surface,  on  the  upland,  was  originally  heavily  timbered, 
but  there  are  several  small  prairies  in  the  central  and  northern  portions  of  the 
county.  It  is  a  well  watered  county,  being  intersected  by  numerous  small 
streams,  besides  the  two  large  rivers  which  form  its  eastern  and  western  bounda- 
ries. Among  the  principal  streams  in  the  interior  of  the  county,  are  McGee's 
creek,  and  its  tributaries,  in  the  northeastern  part ;  Bay  creek,  which  traverses 
its  central  and  southern  portions  ;  and  McDonald's  creek,  Hadley's  creek,  and 
some  others  of  less  importance,  which  intersect  the  western  part,  and  empty 
into  a  bayou,  which  traverses  the  bottom  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  county, 
through  its  whole  extent.  The  valley  of  the  Mississippi  is  from  eight  to  twelve 
miles  in  width,  and,  as  the  present  river  channel  is  along  the  western  edge  of 
this  valley,  it  leaves  a  wide  belt  of  bottom  lands  on  the  western  border  of  the 
county,  containing  an  area  of  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  square  miles,  or 
more  than  one-fifth  of  the  whole  area  of  the  county. 

The  general  level  of  the  uplands  may  be  estimated  at  from  two  to  three  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  great  water  courses,  on  either  side,  with  no  very  well  de- 
fined water  shed  to  determine  the  courses  of  the  smaller  streams.  The  soil  on 
the  timbered  lands,  is  generally  a  chocolate  colored  clay  loam,  becoming  lighter 
colored  on  the  breaks  of  the  streams,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  river  bluffs. 

The  geological  structure  of  this  county  is  somewhat  peculiar,  and  the  strata 
exposed  within  its  limits  comprise  the  upper  part  of  the  Niagara  limeston^the 
whole  series  of  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones,  except  the  Chester  group,  and 
a  limited  thickness  of  Coal  Measures,  with  the  usual  surface  deposits  of  Loess 
and  Drift.  No  well  defined  beds  of  Devonian  age  were  seen  in  the  county, 
though  a  little  below  the  southern  line,  in  Calhoun  county,  we  found  two  or 


PIKE    COUNTY.  25 

three  feet  of  quartzose  sandstone  resting  upon  the  Niagara  limestone,  which, 
no  doubt,  belongs  to  the  Hamilton  group,  and  is  the  most  northerly  outcrop  of 
this  formation  known  in  this  part  of  the  State.  The  green  and  blue  shales, 
sometimes  including  a  few  feet  of  chocolate  brown,  or  black  shale,  which  imme- 
diately overlies  the  Niagara  limestone  here,  contains  no  fossils,  and  shades  into 
the  arenaceous  beds  of  the  Kinderhook  group  so  completely,  that  no  line  of 
separation  can  be  seen  between  them.  Hence  we  have  included  these  shales, 
which  have  heretofore  been  referred  to  the  age  of  the  "  Black  Slate,"  of  Ohio, 
in  the  Lower  Carboniferous  series,  and  consider  them  as  probably  the  equiva- 
lent of  a  black  shale,  that  is  found  in  Ohio  intercalated  in  the  Waverly  sand- 
stone. This,  in  the  absence  of  the  Hamilton  limestone,  or  any  lower  division 
of  the  Devonian  system,  leaves  the  Lower  Carboniferous  beds  resting  immedi- 
ately upon  the  Upper  Silurian  limestones. 

A  very  decided  want  of  conformability  may  be  observed  between  the  Coal 
Measures,  and  the  limestones  on  which  they  rest  in  this  county.  Usually  in 
this  portion  of  the  State,  if  the  sequence  of  strata  is  complete,  the  Coal  Meas- 
ures rest  upon  the  upper  beds  of  the  St.  Louis  limestone,  but  this  group  is 
wanting  here,  except  on  the  northern  limits  of  the  county,  and  the  Coal  Meas- 
ures are  found  resting  unconformably  on  the  Keokuk  limestones,  in  the  east 
part  of  the  county,  and  on  the  Burlington  beds,  in  the  western  portion.  This 
peculiar  feature  in  the  geology  of  the  county,  has  resulted  from  the  elevation 
and  subsequent  denudation  of  the  strata,  anterior  to  the  deposit  of  the  coal. 

In  addition  to  the  disturbance  of  the  strata,  resulting  from  the  Cap  au  Ores 
axis,  described  in  the  report  on  Calhoun  county,  which,  no  doubt,  also  affected 
the  strata  in  the  southern  part  of  Pike,  there  is  another,  though  less  decided, 
axis  in  this  county,  which,  probably,  changed  the  level  of  the  Lower  Carbon- 
iferous limestones,  over  nearly  the  whole  extent  of  the  county,  and  resulted  in 
the  subsequent  denudation  of  the  strata  already  alluded  to.  This  axis  occurs 
in  the  vicinity  of  Six  Mile  creek,  and  its  effects  are  most  apparent  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  7,  township  7  south,  range  4  west,  where  the  Niagara 
limestone  rises  abruptly  from  beneath  the  surface  of  the  bottom  lands  at  the 
foot  of  the  bluffs,  and,  dipping  north  20°  west,  at  an  angle  of  7°,  rises,  in  a 
distance  of  scarcely  more  than  a  hundred  yards,  so  as  to  form  a  perpendicular 
cliff,  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  in  hight.  There  has,  evidently,  been  a  dislocation 
of  the  strata  here,  for  we  find  this  limestone  outcropping  along  the  foot  of  the 
bluff,  from  Rockport  down  nearly  to  the  point  where  it  rises  so  suddenly  from 
the  river  bottoms,  and  showing  above  this  point  no  very  decided  inclination. 
The  elevating  force,  however,  was  not  sufficient  to  bring  the  whole  thickness  of 
the  group  above  the  surface,  although  about  fifty  feet  in  thickness  is  exposed. 
The  following  section  will  show  the  thickness  of  the  formations  found  in  this 

—4 


26  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

county,  but  for  reasons  already  given,  they  do  not  always  hold  the  same  rela- 
tive position  as  in  the  section  given  below : 

FEET. 

Quarternary  deposits  (Loess  and  Drift) 40  to  100 

Coal  Measures , 20  "    60 

f  St.  Louis  Limestones 00        30 

Keokuk  group. . ,  .100  "  12» 

Lower  Carboniferous  J 

I  Burlington  limestone 150  "  200 

[ffinderkook  group 100  "  120 

Niagara  limestone 00        50 

The  Niagara  limestone  is  only  found  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  county, 
where  its  main  outcrop  is  at  the  base  of  the  bluffs,  between  Rockport  and  the 
south  line  of  the  county,  and  on  Six  Mile  creek,  for  a  short  distance  up  that 
stream.  Where  the  rock  first  appears,  the  upper  portion  is  a  rather  thin  bedded, 
rough,  gray  limestone,  becoming  more  massive  below,  and  on  Six  Mile  creek, 
it  is  partly  a  regular  bedded  buff  or  brown  dolomite,  and  presents  the  usual 
characters  of  this  formation  at  other  localities.  It  contains  a  few  fossils  at  the 
outcrop  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Hill,  among  which  we  obtained  fragments 
of  Trilobites,  a  few  fossil  shells,  too  imperfect  for  determination,  and  a  single 
specimen  of  Halysites  catenulatus. 

At  Mr.  Wells's  place,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  17,  township  7 
south,  range  4  west,  the  buff  colored  magnesian  beds  of  this  group  are  exposed 
about  ten  feet  in  thickness,  and  the  rock  has  been  quarried  for  general  use  as 
a  building  stone  in  the  neighborhood.  The  beds  appear  to  dip  here  in  an  op- 
posite direction  from  those  at  the  point  where  the  rock  rises  so  suddenly  from 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  bottom  lands,  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs,  the  direction 
being  to  the  south  20°  east,  and  the  angle  about  6°.  On  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  section  8,  in  the  same  township,  there  is  an  exposure  of  about  twenty- 
two  feet  of  this  limestone,  the  lower  ten  feet  being  a  gray,  even  bedded  lime- 
stone, and  the  upper  twelve  feet  a  buff  colored  magnesian  rock,  closely  resem- 
bling the  rock  from  the  Grafton  quarries.  It  is  the  prevailing  rock  at  Pleas- 
ant Hill,  and  forms  a  limestone  bench  about  thirty  feet  in  hight,  above  the 
road,  at  the  base  of  the  bluffs.  Two  miles  north  of  Pleasant  Hill,  on  a  branch 
of  Six  Mile  creek,  the  upper  part  of  this  limestone  is  exposed  in  the  bed  of  the 
creek,  dipping  north  30°  west,  about  2°.  Only  about  six  feet  in  thickness  is 
exposed  here,  and  the  rock  is  a  regular  bedded,  brown  magnesian  limestone. 
This  seemed  to  be  about  the  most  easterly  outcrop  of  this  formation,  an'd  it  is 
here  overlaid  by  the  shales  of  the  Kinderhook  group.  From  this  point  south- 
westward,  to  the  Calhoun  county  line,  occasional  outcrops  of  this  limestone 
may  be  seen  along  the  base  of  the  bluffs,  and  its  entire  outcrop  in  this  county 
is  restricted  to  the  vicinity  of  the  river  bluffs  between  Rockport  and  the  south 
line  of  the  county. 


PIKE   COUNTY.  27 

KinderJioolc  Group. — One  of  the  best  exposures  of  this  group  in  this  county, 
is  at  the  point  of  the  bluff,  just  above  the  village  of  Kinderhook,  from  whence 
it  has  received  its  name.  The  following  is  the  section  at  this  point : 

FKET. 

Loess  capping  the  bluff 20 

Burlington  limestone 15 

Thin  bedded,  fine  grained  limestone 6 

Thin  bedded  sandstone,  and  sandy  shales 36 

Argillaceous  and  sandy  shales,  partly  hidden 40 

The  three  lower  beds  of  the  above  section  belong  to  this  group,  and  there 
are  some  twenty  feet  or  more  of  still  lower  beds,  which  do  not  appear  above 
the  surface  here.  The  thin  bedded,  fine  grained  limestone,  which  lies  at  the 
top  of  the  series  here,  resembles  the  fragmentary  limestone  at  Burlington, 
Iowa,  which,  at  that  locality,  contains  Chonetes  Fischeri,  Rhynchonetta  pustu- 
7osa,  and  Spirifer  biforatus,  but  no  fossils  were  found  in  it  here.  The  thin, 
bedded  sandstones  below  this,  however,  abound  in  fossil  shells,  belonging  to 
the  genera  Aviculopecten,  Spirifer,  Orthis,  and  Productus,  mostly  identical  with 
those  from  the  gritstones  at  Burlington,  which  belong  to  the  same  horizon. 
The  Argillaceous  shales  at  the  base  of  this  group,  have  afforded  no  fossils  as 
yet  from  any  of  the  localities  examined  in  this  county.  From  Kinderhook 
southward,  along  the  bluffs  on  the  west  side  of  the  county,  this  group  is  more 
or  less  exposed  below  the  Burlington  limestone,  which  forms  the  upper  escarp- 
ment, and  at  Rockport,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  group  may  be  seen,  forming  the 
following  section  : 

FEET. 

Loess  capping  the  bluff 20  to  30 

Arinaceous  limestone  and  shale 16 

TJnexposed  strata 20 

Green  and  blue  clay  shales 30 

Covered  slope  to  the  level  of  the  road 32 

On  our  first  visit  to  this  county,  in  1853,  we  found  at  this  point  a  brecciated 
oolitic  rock,  about  three  feet  thick,  which  receives  a  high  polish  and  makes  a 
beautiful  marble.  At  a  more  recent  visit,  we  did  not  find  it  exposed,  and  it 
is  probably  included  in  the  twenty  feet  of  unexposed  strata,  below  the  arena- 
ceous beds  near  the  top  of  this  section.  This  arenaceous  limestone  contains  a 
few  fossils,  among  which  are  Spirifer  Marionensis,  S.  hirtus,  Productus  pyxi- 
datus,  P.  arcuatus,  Rynchonella  Missouriensis,  and  Chonetes  geniculata.  About 
two  miles  below  Atlas,  the  Burlington  limestone  caps  the  bluff,  and  we  find  the 
Kinderhook  group  outcropping  below  it,  affording  the  following  section : 

FEET. 

Burlington  limestone 12 

Magnesian  limestone 8 

Unexposed t   18 


28  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Sandy  shales '• 38 

Blue  clay  shales 44 

Covered  slope  to  the  level  of  the  road 2*7 

Probably  about  fifteen  feet  in  thickness  at  the  base  of  this  section,  is  occu- 
pied by  the  Niagara  limestone,  leaving  120  feet  as  the  aggregate  thickness  of 
the  Kinderhook  group  at  this  point.  The  sections  above  given  will  illustrate 
the  general  character  of  this  group,  as  it  appears  in  this  county,  where  it  is 
composed  mainly  of  sandy  and  argillaceous  shales,  with  some  thin  beds  of  lime- 
stone. Its  outcrop  is  confined  to  the  river  bluffs,  and  the  lower  courses  of  the 
small  streams  that  intersect  them.  Commencing  on  the  west  side  of  the  coun- 
ty at  the  north  line,  we  find  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  of  these  shales  outcropping 
below  the  Burlington  limestone,  which  forms  the  upper  escarpment  of  the  bluffs, 
and  thence  southward  they  gradually  rise  until,  at  Rockport,  we  find  the  whole 
thickness  of  the  group  in  partial  exposures  above  the  level  of  the  bottom  road. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Hill,  the  bluffs  are  composed  of  Niagara  limestone, 
overlaid  by  Loess  and  Drift,  and  the  outcrop  of  the  Kinderhook  is  found  further 
back  on  Six  Mile  creek  and  on  the  branches  of  Bay  creek.  On  Cold  Run, 
about  a  mile  above  the  point  where  it  enters  Bay  creek,  the  green  and  blue 
shales  of  the  Kinderhook  group  are  well  exposed,  giving  a  measured  section  31 
feet  in  thickness.  These  are  overlaid  by  sandy  shales,  that  are  but  partially 
exposed,  but  containing  a  few  feet  in  thickness  of  fine  grained,  evenly  bedded 
sandstone,  that  has  come  into  general  use  in  the  neighborhood  for  constructing 
chimneys,  building  foundation  walls,  etc.  It  is  said  to  be  a  very  refractory 
stone,  that  is  scarcely  affected  by  the  action  of  fire,  and  also  possesses  a  fine, 
sharp  grit,  which  makes  it  a  useful  material  for  grindstones,  whetstones,  etc., 
for  which  it  has  been  very  generally  used  in  this  vicinity.  The  bed,  however, 
is  only  from  three  to  four  feet  in  thickness  at  the  point  where  we  found  it  ex- 
posed, which  was  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  Mr.  J.  Gr.  Sitton's  farm.* 
These  beds,  and  the  blue  and  green  shales  which  underlie  them,  will  be  found 
outcropping  on  all  the  tributaries  of  Bay  creek,  in  this  vicinity,  as  well  as  on 
the  main  creek. 

Crossing  the  county  to  the  Illinois  river  bluffs,  near  the  south  line,  we  find 
these  beds  forming  the  lower  portion  of  the  bluff,  and  well  exposed  on  the 
lower  course  of  Bee  creek,  and  in  the  bed  of  the  creek  at  the  mill,  there  is  a 
partial  outcrop  of  the  black  shale,  which  sometimes  forms  the  lowest  strata  of 
the  group.  The  beds  are  not  fully  exposed  here,  but  in  ascending  the  stream, 
the  argillaceous  and  sandy  shales  are  occasionally  seen  in  partial  exposures, 
showing  that  the  group  retains  essentially  the  same  characters  on  this  side  of 

*A  rock  exactly  like  this,  from  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  and  from  the  same  geological  horizon, 
receives  a  high  polish,  and  is  used  for  tables  and  various  other  purposes,  as  an  ornamental 
stone,  and  the  rock  from  the  above  named  locality,  in  Pike  county,  seems  to  be  equally  as  well 
adapted  for  this  purpose. 


PIKE   COUNTY.  29 

the  county  as  on  the  other.  From  this  point  northward,  these  shales  appear  in 
occasional  outcrops  along  the  bluffs,  to  the  vicinity  of  Bedford,  where  they  dip 
below  the  surface  and  are  seen  no  more.  As  this  group  does  not  form  the  bed 
rock  over  any  considerable  surface  area  in  this  county,  it  fails  to  impart  any  of 
the  peculiar  topographical  features  to  the  surface  here,  which  usually  character- 
ize it  where  it  is  well  developed,  with  no  overlying  limestone  to  modify  its  in- 
fluence on  the  topography  of  the  country.  Then,  it  almost  invariably  forms  a 
broken  and  hilly  region,  so  marked  in  its  character  that  the  extent  of  its  out- 
crop may  be  very  accurately  defined,  from  the  peculiar  topographical  features  of 
the  surface  alone.  But  almost  everywhere  in  this  county,  where  the  group  is 
exposed,  the  Burlington  limestone  overlies  it,  and  therefore  determines  the 
topographical  features  of  the  region  also  underlaid  by  the  shales  and  gritstones 
of  this  group. 

Burlington  Limestone. — This  limestone  forms  the  bed  rock  over  fully  one-half 
of  the  entire  surface  of  the  uplands  in  this  county,  and  its  outcrop,  in  a  gene- 
ral way,  may  be  thus  described  :  Commencing  on  the  western  side  of  the  north 
line  of  the  county,  it  forms  a  belt,  from  five  to  ten  miles  in  width,  the 
western  border  of  which  is  defined  by  the  river  bluffs,  and  extending  thence  to 
the  southern  line  of  the  county,  forming  the  bed  rock  over  all  that  part  of  the 
county  lying  south  of  Pittsfield,  and  from  that  point  northward  to  Griggsville 
Landing,  and  south  to  the  Calhoun  county  line,  underlying  all  the  highlands  in 
that  portion  of  the  county  south  of  Pittsfield,  except  a  very  limited  area  in 
the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Hill,  where  the  Niagara  limestone  forms  the  surface 
rock.  Its  thickness  ranges  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet,  but 
usually  not  more  than  fifty  or  one  hundred  feet  can  be  seen  at  a  single  outcrop. 
The  best  exposures  of  this  rock  are  to  be  seen  in  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  and 
the  Mississippi,  and  on  some  of  the  principal  creeks  in  the  western  and  south- 
ern portions  of  the  county.  The  rock  is  a  rather  coarse  grained,  gray  lime- 
stone, with  intercalations  of  buff  or  brown  layers,  and  is  largely  composed  of 
the  fossilized  remains  of  the  Crinoidea  and  Mollusca,  that  swarmed  in  countless 
myriads  in  the  old  carboniferous  ocean,  during  the  formation  of  this  limestone. 
It  is  the  Crinoidal  and  Encrinital  limestone  of  some  of  the  old  observers,  and 
it  was  so  designated  in  consequence  of  its  being  almost  entirely  composed,  at 
some  localities,  of  the  remains  of  these  radiated  forms  of  animal  life.  Indeed, 
the  main  portion  of  the  rock  consists  of  the  calcareous  plates  and  joints  of 
crinoids,  with  barely  enough  mineral  matter  to  cement  the  organic  remains  to- 
gether. 

In  the  Mississippi  bluff,  near  the  north  line  of  the  county,  there  is  from 
forty  to  fifty  feet  of  the  lower  portion  of  this  limestone  exposed,  forming  the 
upper  escarpment  of  the  bluff.  These  lower  beds  consist  of  alternations  of 
gray  and  brown  limestone,  usually  in  regular  and  tolerably  thick  beds,  and  con- 


30  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

tain  Orthis  Michelini,  Euomphalus  latus,  Spirifer  Grimesi,  and  S.  imbrex.  The 
pygidium  of  a  beautiful  Trilobite  was  found  in  these  lower  beds,  near  Kinder- 
hook,  to  which  the  name,  Phillipsia  tuberculata  has  been  given.  From  the 
north  line  of  the  county,  southward,  to  a  point  about  ten  miles  below  Atlas,  this 
limestone  forms  the  upper  portion  of  the  bluff  at  most  of  the  points  examined, 
and  from  thence  it  trends  eastwardly  across  Six  Mile  creek  to  the  waters  of  Bay 
creek,  and  caps  the  bluffs  on  the  eastern  side  of  that  creek,  at  the  south  line 
of  the  county.  It  outcrops  on  all  the  small  streams  south  of  Pittsfield,  and  is 
extensively  quarried  on  Big  Blue  creek,  about  four  miles  southeast  of  there,  for 
building  stone  for  the  supply  of  the  town  and  adjacent  country. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  county,  the  most  northerly  outcrop  of  this  lime- 
stone is  in  the  vicinity  of  Griggsville  Landing,  where  the  cherty  beds  of  the 
upper  division  of  this  rock  are  exposed  at  the  base  of  the  bluff.  The  outcrop 
is  here  about  fifty  feet  in  thickness,  and  so  far  as  it  is  exposed  in  the  quarries 
opened,  the  rock  consists  of  alternations  of  thin  bedded,  gray  limestones,  with 
seams  of  chert.  The  cherty  material  is  also  disseminated  through  the  limestone 
strata,  in  nodules  and  concretionary  masses  of  considerable  size.  From  this 
point  to  Montezuma,  this  limestone  forms  a  low  bluff,  seldom  rising  more  than 
fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  adjacent  bottom  lands.  At  Montezuma,  where 
several  quarries  have  been  opened  in  this  rock,  the  beds  exposed  are  about  fifty 
feet  in  thickness,  the  lower  ten  feet  being  a  massive  gray  limestone,  compara- 
tively free  from  chert,  while  the  remaining  portion  consists  of  thin  bedded, 
brownish  gray  crinoidal  limestone,  with  considerable  cherty  material  in  seams 
and  nodules.  Fossils  are  quite  abundant,  and  among  others  not  yet  determined, 
the  following  species  were  collected  here :  Spirifer  striatus,  S.  Grimesi,  S.  im- 
brex, Productus  punctatus,  P.  semireticulatus,  Strophomena  analoga,  Orthis 
Michilini,  Euomphalus  latus,  Lyropora  retrorsa,  Evactinopora  grandis,  E.  sex- 
radiata,  Agaricocrinus  planoconvexa,  Platycrinus  planus,  and  several  species  of 
Actinocrinus.  From  Montezuma  to  Bedford,  this  limestone  rises  rapidly,  and 
the  bluffs  immediately  north  of  Bedford  are  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  hight,  and  consist  mainly  of  this  limestone,  capped  with  a  few  feet  of  Loess. 
Just  below  Bedford,  the  underlying  shales  appear  at  the  base  of  the  bluffs,  and 
from  thence  to  the  south  line  of  the  county,  the  bluffs  range  from  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet,  or  more,  in  hight,  the  upper  escarpment  consist- 
ing of  a  hundred  feet,  or  more,  in  thickness,  of  Burlington  limestone,  while 
the  talus  below  covers  the  shaly  beds  of  the  Kinderhook  group. 

On  Bay  creek,  this  limestone  is  well  exposed,  and  forms  the  main  portion  of 
the  bluffs  along  this  stream,  from  the  vicinity  of  Pittsfield  to  the  point  where 
it  intersects  the  river  bluffs,  about  two  miles  above  the  Calhoun  county  line. 
It  is  the  most  important  of  all  the  limestones  exposed  in  this  county,  whether 


PIKE    COUNTY.  31 

considered  in  reference  to  the  extent  of  surface  over  which  it  outcrops,  or  the 
amount  and  value  of  the  economical  material  which  it  affords.  Although  as  a 
building  stone  it  is  not  quite  equal  to  the  magnesian  beds  of  the  Niagara  group, 
which  outcrop  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Hill,  it  is,  nevertheless,  a  very  durable 
stone,  and  may  be  made  available  for  all  the  ordinary  uses  for  which  such  a 
material  is  required,  and  it  is  easily  accessible  over  about  one-half  of  the  whole 
area  of  the  county. 

KeoJcuk  Group. — This  group,  which  immediately  succeeds  the  Burlington 
limestone  in  the  ascending  order,  outcrops  over  a  considerable  area  in  the  north- 
ern and  northeastern  parts  of  the  county,  where  it  is  frequently  found  imme- 
diately beneath  the  Coal  Measures,  the  St.  Louis  group,  which  should  properly 
intervene,  having  been  removed  by  denudation,  anterior  to  the  coal  epoch.  It 
consists  of  light  gray  and  bluish  gray,  cherty  limestones  at  the  base,  which 
closely  resemble  the  upper  beds  of  the  Burlington  limestone  in  their  lithologi- 
cal  characters,  so  that  it  would  sometimes  be  difficult  to  define  the  line  of  sepa- 
ration between  them,  except  for  the  fossils,  which  always  serve  to  distinguish 
them.  Some  of  the  limestone  strata  are  quite  as  crinoidal  in  their  structure  as 
the  Burlington  limestone,  but  they  are  usually  more  of  a  bluish  gray  in  color, 
and  may  therefore  be  readily  distinguished,  even  in  hand  specimens,  from  the 
underlying  formation.  There  is  usually  a  series  of  cherty  beds,  from  ten  to 
thirty  feet  in  thickness,  separating  the  main  limestones  of  these  two  groups, 
which  may  properly  be  considered  beds  of  passage  from  one  limestone  to  the 
other.  The  upper  division  of  this  group  consists  of  calcareo-argillaceous  shales 
and  thin  bedded  limestones,  containing  geodes  lined  with  crystalized  quartz, 
chalcedony,  calcite,  dolomite  and  sometimes,  but  more  rarely,  with  crystals  of 
zinc  blende  and  iron  pyrites,  the  latter  usually  in  minute  crystals  implanted  on 
quartz.  This  division  may  be  seen  a  mile  and  a-half  southeast  of  Griggsville, 
and,  where  it  first  appears  beneath  the  Coal  Measures  which  rest  upon  it  here, 
the  geodes  are  found  embedded  in  a  ferruginous  sandstone,  that  perhaps  repre- 
sents the  conglomerate,  which  usually  lies  at  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures.  A 
similar  occurrence  was  observed  at  Moore's  coal  bank,  in  Scott  county,  as  has 
been  mentioned  in  the  report  on  that  county.  This  indicates  some  erosive  ac- 
tion, anterior  to  or  during  the  formation  of  this  conglomerate,  by  which  the 
shales  in  which  the  geodes  were  originally  embedded  were  swept  away,  and  the 
geodes  were  covered  and  enclosed  in  sand,  which  subsequently  hardened  into  a 
conglomerate. 

The  shales  and  shaly  limestones  of  the  geodiferous  division  of  this  group,  are 
exposed  in  the  vicinity  of  Perry  Springs,  and  outcrop  on  the  tributaries  of 
McGee's  creek,  in  that  vicinity.  The  springs  flow  out  of  these  shaly  limestones, 
and  probably  derive  the  small  amount  of  mineral  matters  which  the  waters  con- 
tain, from  these  beds.  On  McGee's  creek,  at  Chambersburg,  the  limestones  of 


32  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

this  group  form  the  bed  of  the  creek,  and  the  overlying  shales  form  the  main 
portion  of  the  bluffs  on  the  creek,  throughout  its  course  in  this  county. 

The  limestones  which  constitute  the  lower  division  of  this  group,  occupy  the 
lower  portion  of  the  river  bluff,  about  half  a  mile  above  Griggsville  Landing, 
and  from  thence  to  Chambersburg.  Their  entire  thickness  probably  does  not 
exceed  sixty  feet,  and  at  some  points  the  beds  are  quite  massive,  and  compara- 
tively free  from  chert,  and  form  an  excellent  building  stone.  This  is  the  char- 
acter of  the  rock  at  some  points  on  the  south  forth  of  McGee's  creek,  between 
Perry  and  Griggsville. 

In  the  northwest  part  of  the  county  this  limestone  is  exposed  on  Hadley's 
creek,  and,  in  the  vicinty  of  Huntley's  coal  bank,  where  the  coal  abuts  directly 
upon  it,  we  found  some  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this  formation,  among 
which  were  Spirifer  Keokuk,  S.  neglectus,  and  some  teeth  of  fossil  fishes. 
Fossils  were  not  found  very  abundant  at  any  of  the  localities  where  we  found 
this  limestone  exposed,  and  as  but  few  quarries  have  been  opened  in  it,  there  is 
but  a  limited  field  for  the  collector  among  the  outcrops  of  this  limestone  in  this 
county.  At  Perry  Springs  we  obtained  two  specimens  of  Agaricocrinus  Amer- 
icanus,  and  one  of  Archimedes  Owenana..  The  same  species  also  occur  in  the 
thin  bedded  limestones  in  the  bed  of  the  creek  at  Chambersburg. 

St.  Louis  Group. — We  saw  no  indications  of  the  presence  of  this  group  any 
where  in  the  county,  except  on  the  breaks  of  McGee's  creek,  in  the  northeast 
part  of  the  county,  and  on  the  south  fork  of  the  same  creek  in  the  vicinity  of 
Perry.  The  beds  exposed  here  consist  of  brown  magnesian  limestone  and 
shales,  and  range  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  thickness.  One  mile  and  a-half 
northwest  of  Perry,  quarries  have  been  opened  in  the  brown  magnesian  lime- 
stone of  this  group,  which  is  there  about  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  thick,  and 
directly  overlies  the  geodiferous  shales  of  the  Keokuk  group.  About  three  miles 
north  of  Perry  Springs,  and  near  the  north  line  of  the  county,  these  magne- 
sian beds  are  also  exposed,  and  are  overlaid  by  some  shaly  beds,  the  whole  at- 
taining a  thickness  of  about  twenty  feet.  No  exposure  of  the  gray  concretion- 
ary limestone,  which  usually  forms  the  upper  member  of  the  group,  was  met 
with  in  this  county. 

Coal  Measures. — The  coal  formation  occupies  but  a  limited  area  in  the  cen- 
tral and  northern  portions  of  this  county,  underlying  the  whole  of  town  4  south, 
range  4  west,  and  a  portion  only  of  the  four  surrounding  townships.  The  en- 
tire thickness  of  the  formation,  as  it  appears  in  this  county,  probably  does  not 
exceed  sixty  feet.  The  following  are  the  principal  points  where  coal  has  been 
dug  in  this  county  : 

Huntley's  old  bank,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  15,  town  4  south, 
range  5  west.  Coal  sixteen  to  twenty-four  inches  thick,  overlaid  by  about  six 
inches  of  black  shale. 


PIKE    COUNTY.  33 

Huntley's  new  bank,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  10,  town  4  south, 
range  5  west.  The  coal  is  here  about  six  feet  thick,  with  a  parting  of  clay  shale 
in  the  middle,  about  two  inches  in  thickness.  The  coal  in  the  upper  part  of 
this  seam  is  rather  soft,  and  contains  considerable  bisulphuret  of  iron.  The  low- 
er division  affords  a  harder  and  better  coal,  and  rests  upon  a  gray  fire  clay,  two 
feet  or  more  in  thickness.  Two  or  three  hundred  yards  northeast  of  this  open- 
ing, a  coal  scam  outcrops  at  about  the  same  level  with  this,  which  is  only  about 
eighteen  inches  in  thickness,  and  is  overlaid  by  a  blue  clay  shale,  containing 
large  septaria.  This  clay  shale  is  apparently  quite  similar  to  that  which  forms 
the  roof  at  Huntley's  mine,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  greatly  increased  thick- 
ness of  the  coal  at  the  point  where  it  is  now  worked,  is  due  to  some  local  cause, 
and  perhaps  to  the  meeting  of  two  seams,  which  are  only  separated  by  the  part- 
ing of  clay  shale,  coming  together  in  a  pocket  or  depression  in  the  limestone. 
The  coal  here  abuts  directly  upon  the  Keokuk  limestone,  which  outcrops  within 
a  few  feet  of  the  coal,  and  in  the  bed  and  bluffs  of  the  creek  below  it.  It  is 
not  probable  that  this  thickness  of  coal  strata  will  be  found  extending  over  any 
considerable  area  of  surface,  as  the  cause  which  has  produced  it  is  most  proba- 
bly entirely  local,  for  no  other  outcrop  of  coal  is  known,  either  in  this  or  the 
adjoining  counties,  where  the  seams  range  above  two  feet,  or  thirty  inches  at  most, 
in  thickness.  Three  miles  east  of  Barry,  coal  has  been  dug,  on  a  small  branch 
south  of  the  Philadelphia  road,  and  a  mile  further  south,  on  the  north  fork  of 
the  creek  which  intersects  the  river  bluffs  near  New  Canton,  there  is  a  ble  clay 
shale,  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  thick,  exposed  along  the  creek,  which  con- 
tains septaria  and  tuten-mergel,  and  closely  resembles  the  shale  over  the  coal  at 
Huntley's  mine.  From  this  point,  the  western  boundary  of  the  Coal  Measures 
trends  southeastwardly  to  Houseworth's  coal  bank,  two  miles  and  a-half  north- 
west of  Pittsfield.  This  mine  is  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  16,  town  5 
south,  range  4  west,  coal  about  eighteen  inches  thick,  overlaid  by  about  three 
feet  of  dark  blue  shale  passing  upward  into  sandy  shale,  of  which  about  ten 
feet  in  thickness  was  seen  above  the  coal.  The  coal  seam  is  variable  in  its  thick- 
ness here,  and  ranges  from  sixteen  to  twenty-two  inches,  but  at  Mr.  Harshman's 
place,  a  mile  north,  it  is  about  two  feet  thick.  An  analysis  of  Houseworth's 
coal,  by  Mr.  Henry  Pratten,  as  reported  in  Norwood's  "Analysis  of  Illinois 
Coals,"  gave  the  following  result : 

Specific  gravity 1.2203 

Loss  in  coking 49.5 

Total  weight  of  coke 50.5 

100.00 

Analysis :  Moisture 5.0 

Volatile  matters 44.5 

Carbon  in  coke. 45.5 

Ashes  (white) 5.0 

100.00 

Carbon-hi  coal 53.2 

—5 


34  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

Four  miles  west  of  Griggsville,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  13,  town 
4  south,  range  4  west,  coal  has  been  found  on  Mr.  Dunham's  place.  The  coal 
is  from  fourteen  to  twenty  inches  thick,  and  is  overlaid  by  about  two  feet  of 
fossiliferous  black  shale.  Also,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  11,  in  the 
same  township,'  the  same  seam  is  exposed,  and  averages  about  eighteen  inches 
in  thickness,  and  is  overlaid  by  black  shale,  enclosing  nodules  of  bisulphuret-of 
iron  with  fossil  shells.  This  coal  outcrops  at  several  localities,  in  the  ravines 
along  the  road  between  Griggsville  and  Salem,  and  also  between  Salem  and  New 
Philadelphia. 

A  half  mile  south  of  Griggsville,  coal  has  been  worked  on  Mr.  Parker's  land. 
The  seam  varies  in  thickness,  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  inches,  and  is  over- 
laid by  blue  shale.  Three-quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  this  point,  the  shales  and 
geodes  of  the  upper  part  of  the  Keokuk  group  outcrop  along  the  same  creek 
on  which  the  coal  is  found,  and  half  a  mile  south  of  Houseworth's  coal,  the 
Keokuk  limestone  was  seen,  and  this  seems  to  be  the  formation  on  which  the 
Coal  Measures  rest,  in  the  central  and  northern  portions  of  the  county,  except 
at  the  outcrops  east  and  southeast  of  Barry,  where  they  appear  to  overlie  the 
Burlington  limestone. 

On  Mr.  Lazarus  Ross's  place,  a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  Perry  Springs, 
some  indications  of  coal  may  be  seen  in  the  bluffs  of  the  middle  fork  of 
McGee's  creek.  Partial  outcroppings  of  black  and  dark  blue  shales  appear 
here,  but  so  intermingled  with  drift  clays,  by  the  slipping  of  the  beds;  that  it 
is  difficult  to  say  whether  the  shales  were  in  situ,  or  had  been  moved  by  drift 
agencies.  Some  attempts  have  been  made  here  to  find  coal,  but  without 
success. 

In  the  southeast  part  of  the  county  we  found  an  outcrop  of  the  Conglom- 
erate, which  usually  forms  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures,  overlying  the  Bur- 
lington Limestone  on  Mr.  Ch's  Meisenbach's  place,  on  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  30,  township  7  south,  range  2  west.  About  ten  feet  in  thickness  of 
the  sandstone  was  exposed,  where  there  had  been  an  old  quarry,  and  the  whole 
thickness  of  the  bed  at  this  point,  is  probably  not  less  than  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet.  This  sandstone  also  outcrops  on  the  adjoining  farm,  owned  by  Mr. 
Jordan.  This  is  probably  an  outlier  of  sandstone  that  was  originally  deposited 
in  a  depression  of  the  limestone,  where  it  has  been  protected  from  erosion, 
while  the  surrounding  strata  have  been  removed  by  denuding  forces. 

From  the  outcrops  of  coal  already  mentioned  in  this  county,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  coal  is  generally  too  thin  to  be  profitably  mined,  except  where  it  can 
be  done  in  open  trenches  by  throwing  off  the  overlying  material.  Coal  cannot 
be  profitably  mined  in  a  regular  way,  either  by  tunnel  or  shaft,  where  the  seam 
averages  less  than  two  feet  in  thickness,  and  as  the  seams  in  this  county  are 
usually  less  than  that,  they  are  of  little  value  unless  so  situated  as  to  be  easily 


PIKE  COUNTY,  35 

worked  by  "stripping."  The  seam  at  Mr.  Huntley's,  near  the  north  line  of 
the  county  is,  however,  an  exception,  and  may  be  worked  to  good  advantage 
by  any  of  the  ordinary  modes  of  mining.  It  is  probable,  however,  from  the 
general  development  of  the  coal,  both  in  Pike  and  Adams  counties,  that  the 
unusual  thickness  of  the  seani  or  seams,  at  this  point,  is  a  merely  local  phenome- 
non, and  will  be  found  to  extend  over  only  a  small  surface  area.  Local  thick- 
enings of  this  kind  are  not  uncommon,  and  are  denominated"  pockets"  by  the 
miners,  the  coal  sometimes  thickening  to  twelve  or  fourteen  feet,  and  yet  cov- 
ering only  an  acre  or  two  of  surface,  thinning  out  entirely  in  a  few  rods  in 
either  direction. 

Quaternary  System. — A  broad  belt  of  alluvial  bottom  lands,  from  six  to 
twelve  miles  in  width,  skirts  the  western  border  of  this  county,  through  its 
whole  extent  from  north  to  south.  The  soil  on  these  lands  is  exceedingly  fer- 
tile, and  where  they  are  elevated  above  the  annual  overflow  of  the  river,  they 
comprise  some  of  the  most  valuable  and  productive  lands  in  the  county.  Belts 
of  heavily  timbered  lands  skirt  the  small  streams  that  intersect  these  alluvial 
bottoms,  and  also  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river,  through  the  whole 
extent  of  the  county,  from  north  to  south,  but  a  large  portion  of  these  lands 
were  originally  prairie,  and  have  been  more  recently  transformed  into  highly 
cultivated  farms.  But  little  is  known  of  the  character  of  these  alluvial  beds 
below  the  depth  of  ten  or  twelve  feet,  this  much  only  being  exposed  in  the 
channels  of  the  streams  by  which  they  are  intersected,  but  if  we  could  penetrate 
down  to  the  solid  rock  bottom,  we  should  most  probably  find  formations  which 
do  not  appear  any  where  in  this  region  above  the  surface.  That  the  broad 
valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  other  western  streams,  was  formed  long  anterior 
to  the  existence  of  the  rivers  which  now  occupy  them,  admits  of  no  question, 
for  at  many  points  we  find  this  valley  partially  filled  with  beds  of  drift  clay  and 
gravel,  exactly  like  that  which  covers  the  adjacent  highlands,  showing  that  the 
formation  of  the  valley  antedates  the  Drift  period,  but  whether  these  vallies 
existed  during  the  Tertiary  age,  or  the  age  preceding  the  Drift,  is  a  point  not 
yet  fully  settled,  though  some  facts  have  been  observed  which  lead  to  that  con- 
clusion. If  we  could  see  a  complete  exposure  of  the  beds  underlying  these 
alluvial  bottoms,  down  to  the  solid  rock  on  which  they  rest,  it  is  quite  probable 
that  evidence  might  be  obtained  that  would  help  to  determine  this  interesting 
question. 

So  far  as  these  alluvial  deposits  can  be  determined  by  the  natural  exposures 
in  the  banks  of  the  streams,  they  consist  of  alternations  of  clay,  sand  and  loam, 
in  quite  regular  strata,  but  of  variable  thickness.  On  the  east  side  of  the 
county,  there  is  very  little  bottom  land  from  the  south  line  of  the  county  to 
the  northern  part  of  township  4  south,  range  2  west,  where  it  begins  to  widen, 
and  from  that  point  to  the  north  line  of  the  county,  the  bottoms  along  the  Illi- 


36  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

nois  river  range  from  two  to  five  miles  in  width.  These  bottom  lands,  how- 
ever, are  not  so  much  elevated  as  those  on  the  west  side  of  the  county,  and  are 
generally  too  low  and  wet  for  cultivation.  A  portion  of  them  are  heavily  tim- 
bered with  cottonwood,  sycamore,  soft  maple,  elm,  ash,  hackberry,  honey 
locust,  linden,  black  walnut,  water  oak,  hickory,  etc. 

Loess. — The  river  bluffs  on  both  sides  of  the  county,  are  capped  with  this 
formation,  which  ranges  in  thickness  from  ten  to  sixty  feet  or  more.  It  always 
overlies  the  Drift,  where  both  are  present,  and  hence  is  of  more  recent  origin, 
and  it  also  differs  in  its  character  and  appearance  from  the  Drift  deposits.  It 
generally  consists  of  buff  or  brown  marly  clays  and  sands,  usually  stratified, 
and  often  so  coherent  as  to  remain  in  vertical  walls  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in 
hight,  when  an  artificial  cut  is  made  through  it.  On  analysis,  it  generally 
affords  from  seventy  five  to  eighty  per  cent,  of  silica,  from  ten  to  fifteen  per 
cent,  of  alumina  and  peroxide  of  iron,  from  three  to  four  per  cent,  of  lime,  and 
one  to  two  per  cent,  of  magnesia.  Its  greatest  thickness  is  usually  on  the  top 
of  the  river  bluffs,  and  in  the  lateral  valleys  immediately  adjacent  to  them,  and 
from  thence  it  thins  out  generally  towards  the  summit  level  of  the  interior. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Chambersburg,  in  the  northeast  part  of  this  county,  the 
Loess  forms  the  main  portion  of  the  bluff,  so  far  as  can  be  seen,  and  appears 
to  be  at  least  sixty  or  seventy  feet  in  thickness.  The  timbered  lands  adjacent 
to  the  bluffs  on  both  sides  of  the  county,  are  usually  underlaid  by  this  forma- 
tion, and  it  furnishes  a  light  porous  subsoil,  which  is  admirably  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  fruit  trees,  vines  and  small  fruits.  At  many  localities,  it  contains  a 
variety  of  fossil  shells,  which  present  the  usual  bleached  and  water-worn  ap- 
pearance of  the  dead  shells  of  our  ponds  and  bayous.  It  also  affords  a  variety 
of  calcareous  concretions,  which  assume  many  imitative  forms,  some  of  them 
resembling  potatoes,  and  others  taking  discoidal  forms  like  the  "clay  stones" 
in  the  drift  clays  of  New  England.  It  gives  origin  to  the  bald  knobs  so  fre- 
quently met  with  along  the  river  bluffs,  and  is  often  rounded  into  natural 
mounds,  which  have  been  very  generally  used  by  the  Indians  as  burial  places 
for  the  dead.  The  bones  of  extinct  mammalia  are  often  found  in  the  marly 
beds  of  this  formation,  and  are  associated  with  both  land  and  fresh  water  shells, 
which  would  indicate  this  to  be  a  sedementary  accumulation  in  a  fresh  water 
lake,  or  rather  series  of  lakes,  into  which  the  land  shells  and  bones  of  land  ani- 
mals were  carried  by  rivers,  or  smaller  streams  of  running  water.  Bones  of 
the  Mammoth,  the  Mastodon,  and  the  Casteroides,  or  fossil  beaver,  have  been 
found  in  this  formation  in  this  State,  and  also  the  flint  arrows  and  other  imple- 
ments of  primeval  man. 

Drift. — The  lowest  division  of  the  Quaternary  system  comprises  a  series  of 
variously  colored  clays,  containing  gravel  and  boulders,  to  which  the  term 
"  Drift "  is  usually  applied,  because  the  materials  of  which  it  is  composed  have 


PIKE  COUNTY.  37 

been  transported,  or  drifted,  to  the  region  they  now  occupy.  This  appears  to 
have  been  accomplished,  mainly  by  currents  trending  southwardly,  for  we  find 
in  the  drift  deposits,  water-worn  boulders  of  all  the  rock  formations,  outcropping 
over  an  area  of  four  or  five  hundred  miles  to  the  northward,  as  far,  at  least,  as 
the  northern  shores  of  the  great  lakes,  from  whence  the  granitic,  sienitic,  and 
igneous  boulders  have  come.  Over  a  large  portion  of  this  county,  especially 
adjacent  to  the  river  bluffs  on  either  side  of  the  county,  the  drift  is  rarely  ex- 
posed, from  the  thickness  of  the  overlying  beds  of  Loess,  which  covers  it  to 
the  depth  of  from  ten  to  fifty  feet.  In  the  central  portions,  it  is  more  accessible, 
and  is  penetrated  in  digging  wells,  and  all  other  excavations  below  the  subsoil 
of  the  surface.  Heavy  beds  of  drift  material  cover  the  surface,  overlying  the 
Keokuk  limestones  in  the  vicinity  of  Perry,  and  extend  southward  through  the 
central  portions  of  the  county,  with  a  variable  thickness  ranging  from  twenty 
to  forty  feet,  or  more.  They  are  composed  mainly  of  brown  and  yellow  grav- 
elly clays,  which  usually  become  bluish  gray  towards  the  bottom,  and  enclose 
rounded  boulders  of  metamorphic  and  igneous  rocks,  as  well  as  those  derived 
from  the  limestones  and  sandstones  that  constitute  the  paleozoic  strata  of  our 
own  and  the  adjacent  States.  Towards  the  river  bluffs,  the  drift  deposits  are  not 
so  thick,  and  at  some  points  along  the  summit  of  the  bluffs,  they  are  wanting 
altogether,  and  the  Loess  rests  directly  upon  the  limestones.  At  many  points 
in  the  State,  beds  of  stratified  sand  and  clay  are  found  beneath  the  Drift,  over- 
laid by  the  ancient  soil  which  covered  the  surface  anterior  to  the  Drift  period 
but  no  shafts  have  been  sunk,  or  other  excavations  made,  so  far  as  I  am  aware, 
in  this  county,  deep  enough  to  determine  whether  these  Post  Tertiary  beds 
exist  here.  It  is  quite  probable  they  will  be  found  in  the  central  and  northern 
portions  of  the  county,  as  they  are  known  to  exist  in  the  adjoining  county  on 
the  north.  At  the  base  of  the  Drift  deposits,  in  the  vicinity  of  Barry,  there  is 
a  bed  of  clean,  yellow  flint  gravel,  that  is  partly  cemented  by  the  oxide  of  iron 
into  a  ferruginous  conglomerate,  like  that  on  the  Ohio  river,  in  Massac  county, 
which  has  been  considered  as  of  Tertiary  age.  It  was  scarcely  more  than  a 
foot  in  thickness  where  we  saw  it  exposed. 

Economical     Geology* 

Building  Stone. — Pike  county  has  an  abundant  supply  of  excellent  building 
stone,  which  may  be  obtained  from  all  the  principal  limestones  that  outcrop 
within  its  borders.  The  Niagara  limestone,  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  Hill, 
furnishes  a  buff  magnesian  rock,  in  very  regular  beds,  fully  equal  in  quality  to 
thnt  afforded  by  the  same  beds  atGrafton  end  Joliet.  The  upper  ten  or  twelve 
feet  of  this  formation  is  of  this  character,  while  the  lower  strata  are  of  a  gray 
color,  contain  less  magnesia  in  their  composition,  and,  although  a  durable  stone, 


38  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

are  not  as  easily  worked  as  the  rock  from  the  overlying  beds.  A  portion  of  the 
material  for  the  construction  of  the  new  public  school  building  at  Pittsfield, 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  State,  and  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  the 
people  of  that  town,  was  brought  from  Joliet,  while  the  same  bed  of  limestone, 
affording  a  material  in  every  way  equal  to  that  from  Joliet,  outcrops  within  ten 
miles  of  Pittsfield.  A  want  of  the  knowledge  of  this  single  fact,  has  probably 
cost  the  citizens  of  Pike  county  far  more  than  their  proportion  of  the  entire 
cost  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  the  State. 

The  Burlington  limestone,  which  outcrops  over  a  wide  area  in  this  county, 
will  furnish  an  unlimited  supply  of  excellent  building  stone.  The  thickness  of 
this  formation  is  probably  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  nearly 
the  whole  of  it  may  be  made  available,  either  as  a  building  stone,  or,  if  the  beds 
are  full  of  flinty  material,  as  is  locally  the  case,  as  an  excellent  macadamizing 
material  for  the  construction  of  turnpike  or  common  roads.  The  rock  is  usu- 
ally a  light  gray  or  brown  sub-crystalline  limestone,  and  where  free  from  flint 
or  chert,  is  easily  dressed  and  stands  exposure  well,  being  but  slightly  affected 
by  atmospheric  action.  In  the  vicinity  of  Montezuma,  the  lower  ten  feet  of 
the  limestone  exposed  in  the  bluffs  at  that  point,  is  a  massive  gray  rock,  quite 
free  from  chert,  and  this  lower  division  would  afford  dimension  stone  of  any  de- 
sirable size.  Similar  beds  are  exposed  on  Big  Blue  creek,  four  miles  southeast 
of  Pittsfield,  where  most  of  the  rock  required  for  use  in  the  town  is  obtained. 
There  is  about  forty  feet  in  thickness  of  the  rock  exposed  here,  mostly  in  mas- 
sive beds,  from  two  to  four  feet  thick.  On  the  west  side  of  the  county,  it  forms 
an  almost  continuous  outcrop,  from  ten  to  forty  feet  in  thickness,  along  the 
river  bluffs,  from  the  north  line  of  the  county  to  a  point  about  two  miles  below 
Atlas,  where  it  is  cut  off  by  the  elevation  of  the  Upper  Silurian  strata,  and  on 
the  east  side  it  forms  a  continuous  outcrop  in  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois,  from  the 
vicinity  of  Griggsville  Landing,  to  the  south  line  of  the  county.  It  also  out- 
crops extensively  on  Bay  creek,  and  all  the  smaller  streams  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county.  This  renders  it  easily  accessible  to  all  that  part  of  the 
county  south  of  Pittsfield,  as  well  as  the  region  adjacent  to  the  river  bluffs. 

The  lower  portion  of  the  Keokuk  limestone,  which  immediately  overlies  the 
Burlington,  is  quite  similar  in  character  and  appearance  to  the  latter  rock,  and 
furnishes  a  building  stone  fully  equal  to  that  afforded  by  the  Burlington  lime- 
stone. It  is  usually  rather  free  from  chert  at  the  principal  points,  where  we 
found  it  well  exposed,  and  excellent  building  stone  is  obtained  at  the  quarries 
two  miles  north  of  Griggsville,  on  the  south  fork  of  McGee's  creek.  It  differs 
from  the  Burlington  rock  more  in  color  than  in  texture,  being  usually  more  in- 
clined to  a  bluish  gray,  but  is  semi-crystalline  and  highly  crinoidal,  being 
almost  entirely  composed  of  the  joints  and  plates  of  crinoids,  cemented  together 
by  a  calcareous  paste.  The  bands  of  shale,  or  marly  clay,  which  are  usually 


PIKE   COUNTY.  39 

found  separating  the  strata  of  limestone  at  Nauvoo,  Keokuk,  and  other  north- 
ern localities,  were  not  observed  here,  and  hence  in  its  outcrop  it  is  not  readily 
distinguished  from  the  Burlington  rock,  except  by  a  critical  examination  of  the 

fossils  which  it  contains. 

The  St.  Louis  group,  although  quite  limited  in  this  county,  both  in  its  devel- 
opment and  outcrop,  furnishes  some  excellent  building  stone.  About  a  mile 
and  a-half  northwest  of  Perry,  there  is  an  outcrop  of  about  eighteen  feet  in 
thickness  of  massive,  brown,  magnesian  limestone,  that,  for  culverts,  bridge 
abutments  and  foundation  walls,  especially  where  the  rock  is  to  be  subjected  to 
the  combined  action  of  frost  and  moisture,  has  no  superior  in  the  State.  It 
contains  considerable  iron,  which  oxydizes  freely,  and  gives  to  the  surface  a 
rusty  brown  color,  which  unfits  it  for  use  in  the  outside  walls  of  fine  buildings, 
where  a  pleasing  exterior  is  desirable,  but  for  all  other  uses  it  is  a  valuable  and 
durable  stone.  This  limestone  was  also  met  with  just  on  the  north  line  of  the 
county,  immediately  north  of  Perry  Springs,  where  a  portion  of  the  bed  pre- 
sented the  same  general  character  as  at  the  locality  above  mentioned.  It  was 
only  seen  in  the  extreme  northern  portion  of  the  county,  in  township  3  south, 
ranges  2  and  3  west. 

Coal. — The  coal  deposits  of  this  county  are  limited  in  their  extent,  and  at 
all  the  points  where  coal  has  been  found,  with  a  single  exception,  the  seams 
have  proved  to  be  too  thin  to  be  worked,  except  by  the  process  of  "stripping" 
or  throwing  off  the  overlying  material,  and  working  out  the  coal  in  open  trenches. 
There  are  probably  a  good  many  points  in  the  county  where  this  may  be  done 
to  advantage,  in  the  valleys  of  the  small  streams  where  the  coal  seams  outcrop, 
but  the  completion  of  the  railroad  from  Naples  to  Hannibal  will  give  access  to 
the  heavy  coal  seams  east  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  thus  supply  the  demands 
of  this  county  for  coal,  at  cheaper  rates  than  could  be  done  from  the  limited 
deposits  within  the  county.  At  Huntley's  mine,  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  county,  the  coal  is  six  feet  thick,  and  is  worked  by  tunneling  into  the  out- 
crop, for  the  supply  of  the  adjacent  region,  but  for  reasons  given  on  a  preced- 
ing page,  we  are  inclined  to  regard  this  as  a  local  deposit,  that  will  soon  be  ex- 
hausted. With  this  single  exception,  there  is  no  coal  known  in  this  county 
that  averages  two  feet  in  thickness  over  any  considerable  area,  and  the  general 
range  is  only  from  sixteen  to  twenty  inches. 

Minerals. — No  ore  of  any  kind,  except  iron,  was  met  with  in  the  county. 
Carbonate  of  iron,  as  well  as  the  bi-sulphuret,  is  found  in  the  Coal  Measures,  and 
the  former  is  a  valuable  ore  for  the  production  of  iron,  where  it  is  sufficiently 
abundant,  but  no  deposits  of  these  ores  were  found  in  the  county  of  sufficient 
thickness  to  justify  the  expenditure  of  capital  or  labor  in  attempts  to  develop 
them. 


40  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

Limestones  for  lime.— The  best  and  purest  limestone  for  the  manufacture  of 
quick  lime,  will  be  found  in  the  Keokuk  and  Burlington  limestones.  The  up- 
per or  concretionary  member  of  the  St.  Louis  group,  which  is  generally  pre- 
ferred for  this  purpose,  was  not  met  with  in  this  county,  and  if  found  at  all, 
would  be  too  local  in  its  development  to  supply  any  considerable  portion  of  the 
county,  but  the  limestones  above  named,  one  or  both  of  them,  are  easily  acces- 
sible at  most  points  in  the  county,  and  when  the  rock  is  carefully  selected,  they 
afford  a  very  good  material  for  this  purpose. 

Hydraulic  limestone. — Some  of  the  upper  beds  of  the  Kinderhook  group,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Mr.  Churchill's  place,  just  above  the  village  of  Kinderhook, 
presents  the  usual  appearance  of  a  hydraulic  limestone,  and  a  specimen  of  the 
rock  analysed  by  the  late  Mr.  Henry  Pratten,  gave  the  following  results : 

Water 2.82 

Silica 7.00 

Alumina 0.77 

Carbonate  of  Lime 68.15 

Peroxide  of  iron 0.77 

Protoxide  of  manganese 2.11 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 18.55 

This  analysis  would  seem  to  indicate  too  large  a  per  cent,  of  carbonate  of 
lime,  and  too  small  a  proportion  of  the  silicates  of  alumina  and  iron,  to  form  a 
good  cement  rock,  but  further  tests  might  show  that  the  rock  was  well  adapted 
for  this  purpose. 

Clay  and  sand. — The  fire  clay  which  usually  underlies  the  coal,  if  tolerably 
free  from  lime,  is  valuable  for  the  manufacture  of  fire  brick  and  common  pot- 
tery, and  where  the  coal  seams  are  thin,  it  can  be  mined  with  the  coal  to  good 
advantage.  The  brown  clays  of  the  Drift  furnish  an  abundant  material  for  the 
manufacture  of  common  brick,  and  sand  is  abundant  in  the  valleys  of  the  streams. 
The  Loess  often  affords  these  materials  in  just  the  right  proportion  for  the  use 
of  the  brick  machine. 

Marble. — The  bed  of  oolitic  conglomerate,  already  mentioned  as  occurring 
in  the  Kinderhook  group  at  Rockport,  receives  a  fine  polish  and  makes  a  beau- 
tiful variegated  marble.  The  bed,  however,  is  only  about  three  or  four  feet  in 
thickness,  and  can  not  be  easily  worked  where  it  outcrops  in  the  bluffs,  on  ac- 
count of  the  thickness  of  the  beds  which  overlie  it,  but  it  may  be  found  in 
some  of  the  lateral  vallies  in  that  vicinity,  where  it  could  be  quarried  at  less 
expense.  Some  of  the  sub-crystalline  beds  of  the  Burlington  limestone  receive 
a  high  polish,  and  make  a  fine  ornamental  stone. 

Mineral  Springs. — Perry  Springs  are  situated  about  two  and  a-half  miles 
southeast  of  the  town  of  Perry,  on  a  small  branch  of  one  of  the  tributaries  of 
McGee's  creek.  The  springs,  three  in  number,  issue  from  the  upper  part  of 
the  Keokuk  limestone,  which  underlies  the  valley,  and  outcrops  along  the  bluffs 


PIKE    COUNTY.  41 

of  the  creek  below  the  springs.  They  are  about  a  hundred  yards  apart,  and  the 
upper  one  is  called  the  Sulphur  Spring,  the  middle  one  the  Magnesian,  and  the 
lower  the  Iron  Spring.  The  middle  one  is  the  most  used,  and  affords  the  larg- 
est supply  of  water.  They  preserve  a  nearly  equal  temperature  throughout  the 
year,  of  about  48  to  50°  Fahrenheit.  An  analysis  of  the  waters  of  these 
springs,  by  Mr.  Henry  Engelmann,  as  reported  to  the  proprietors,  Messrs. 
Watson  &  Divelbiss,  gave  the  following  amount  of  mineral  matter,  in  grains, 
to  each  gallon  of  water  : 

No.  1,  or  No.  2,  or  No.  3,  or 

middle  spring.  upper  spring.  lower  spring. 

Bi-carbonate  of  lime 15.89  19.75  19.66 

Bi-carbonate  of  magnesia 17.01  14.81  10.49 

Bi-carbonate  of  iron 0.55  0.60  0.27 

Silicate  of  alumina    0.00  0.00  0.27 

Silicate  of  potassa  and  soda 2.64  2.28  3.45 

Silicate  of  sodium 0.12  0.38  0.58 

Sulphate  of  soda 0.44  1.10  1.49 

Carbonate  of  potassa 1.59  1.45  1.26 

38.24  40.37  37.47 

These  Springs  are  situated  in  a  beautiful  valley,  surrounded  by  wooded  hills, 
and  afford  a  pleasant  retreat  for  the  invalid,  and  those  desiring  a  temporary 
respite  from  the  dust  and  turmoils  of  city  life.  They  probably  derive  their 
mineral  ingredients  from  the  geodiferous  shales  of  the  Keokuk  group,  and  a 
similar  spring  issues  from  about  the  same  horizon  at  Warsaw,  in  Hancock 
county. 

Soil  and  Timber. — The  greater  portion  of  the  uplands  in  this  county,  were 
originally  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  excellent  timber,  but  there  are  a  few 
small  prairies,  seldom  more  than  two  or  three  miles  in  width,  interspersed  over 
its  surface,  and  occupying  the  most  level  portions  of  its  area.  The  surface  of 
the  county  is  generally  rolling,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  streams,  becomes  quite 
broken  and  hilly.  The  timber  consists  of  white,  red,  and  black  oak,  pig-nut 
and  shell-bark  hickory,  black  walnut,  elm,  linden,  wild  cherry,  honey  locust, 
sugar  maple,  sassafras,  etc.  The  soil  on  the  prairies  and  more  level  timbered 
lands,  is  a  dark,  chocolate  colored  clay  loam,  very  productive,  and  yields  annu- 
ally large  crops  of  grass,  and  all  the  cereals  adapted  to  the  climate.  On  the 
more  broken  lands  along  the  streams,  the  soil  is  lighter  colored,  and  less  pro- 
ductive, but  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  wheat,  clover,  and  especially  of 
fruit.  The  freshly  cleared  timbered  lands  are  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of 
tobacco,  but  it  may  be  seriously  questioned  whether  the  best  interests  of « the 
human  race  are  promoted  by  its  cultivation.  On  the  river  bluffs,  and  the  regies 
immediately  adjacent  thereto,  where  the  Loess  is  the  prevailing  formaticfi  •,  the 
soil  is  more  sandy  and  drains  freely,  and  is  well  adapted  to  the  cultivation  df  , 
—6 


42  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

grapes,  and  all  other  fruits  adapted  to  the  climate.  The  rich  alluvial  bottom 
lands  on  the  western  borders  of  the  county,  have  already  been  described  on  a 
preceding  page. 

In  closing  my  report  on  this  county,  I  desire  to  acknowledge  my  obligations 
to  Dr.  Benj.  Norris,  and  Prof.  Pike,  of  Pittsfield,  for  valuable  information  and 
voluntary  assistance,  while  we  were  engaged  in  prosecuting  the  survey  of  the 
county.  To  Dr.  Norris,  the  State  Cabinet  is  also  indebted  for  several  valuable 
specimens  of  fossils,  and  Indian  antiquities  from  this  county. 


CHAPTER     III. 

ADAMS    COUNTY. 

This  county  lies  upon  the  western  border  of  the  State,  and  is  bounded,  on 
the  north,  by  Hancock  county;  on  the  east,  by  Schuyler,  Brown  and  Pike 
counties  ;  on  the  south,  by  Pike  county  j  and  on  the  west,  by  the  Mississippi 
river.  It  embraces  an  area  of  about  twenty-three  townships,  or  eight  hundred  and 
thirty  square  miles.  It  is  well  watered,  having,  in  addition  to  the  great  river 
which  forms  its  western  boundary,  several  smaller  streams,  which  afford  a  thor- 
ough surface  drainage  to  all  parts  of  the  county.  Bear  creek  drains  the  north- 
ern portion  of  the  county;  McGee's  creek,  the  eastern  and  central;  and 
McDonald's  creek,  Hadley's  creek,  and  Mill  creek,  intersect  the  southern  and 
southwestern  portion.  These  streams  furnish  a  small  amount  of  water  power 
for  mills  and  machinery,  as  well  as  an  abundant  supply  of  water  for  the  stock 
grower.  Fine  springs  of  fresh  water  are  abundant  in  some  portions  of  the 
county,  and  more  especially,  in  the  southern  and  western  part,  where  the  Bur- 
lington or  Quincy  limestone  is  the  prevailing  rock.  This  limestone  is  some- 
what cavernous,  and  admits  the  free  passage  of  subterranean  streams  through 
it,  until  they  finally  find  an  outlet  at  the  surface,  in  limpid  springs  of  cold 
limestone  water. 

The  uplands  in  this  county  are  nearly  equally  divided  into  timber  and 
prairie,  the  timber  portions  being  mainly  restricted  to  the  broken  lands  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  streams.  The  prairies  are  generally  quite  rolling,  except  in  the 
northeastern  portion  of  the  county,  where  they  are  comparatively  level.  The 
general  elevation  of  the  prairie  region,  above  the  level  of  the  Mississippi,  at 
low  water,  is  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet.  Along  the 
western  border  of  the  county  there  is  a  belt  of  alluvial  bottom  land,  from  one  to 
five  miles  in  width,  extending  the  whole  length  of  the  county,  from  north  to 
south,  except  for  about  two  miles  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Quincy,  where 
the  bluffs  approach  near  to  the  river  bank.  A  portion  of  these  alluvial  lands 
are  quite  dry,  being  only  overflowed  by  the  highest  floods  in  the  river,  and 
possess  a  very  rich  and  productive  soil,  and  are  partly  prairie,  especially  the 
higher  portions  adjacent  to  the  river  bluffs.  The  low  bottoms  are  in  part  cov- 
ered with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  embracing  many  varieties  not  found  on 


44  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

the  uplands.  The  bottom  lands  north  of  Quincy,  towards  the  Hancock  county 
line,  are  intersected  with  numerous  bayous,  and  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
county,  one  of  these  widens  into  a  lake  four  or  five  miles  in  length,  by  about 
two  in  width,  known  as  Lima  Lake.  The  bottom  lands  in  this  part  of  the 
county,  are  mostly  too  wet  for  cultivation,  but  below  Quincy,  they  are  rather 
higher,  and  afford  some  fine  farming  lands,  especially  along  the  foot  of  the 
bluffs,  where  a  considerable  area  is  above  the  high  water  level  of  the  river. 

The  geological  formations  exposed  in  this  county,  comprise  the  Lower  Car- 
boniferous limestone  series,  about  three  hundred  feet  in  thickness,  about  one 
hundred  feet  of  the  lower  part  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  the  Quaternary  and 
Post  Tertiary  deposits  of  more  recent  age,  which  unconformably  overlie  all  the 
others.  The  following  section  will  show  the  thickness  and  relative  position  of 
the  formations  exposed  in  this  county  : 

FEET. 

C  Alluvium  and  Loess 30  to    40 

Drift  clay,  with  gravel  and  boulders 80  "     90 

Quaternary -{  Post  Tertiary  soil 2  "       6 

I  Brown  clay 6 

[  Tough  blue  clay 20 

SBeds   of  sandstone,    sandy,    and   argillaceous   shale,    with 
bands  of  limestone,  bituminous  shale  and  fire  clay,  with 

two  or  three  seams  of  coal 100 

(St.  Louis  group 40  to  50 
Keokuk  group 80  "  100 
Burlington  Limestone 100 

Kinderhook  group,  partly  exposed 50 

The  Quaternary  system  properly  includes  all  the  deposits,  both  stratified  and 
unstratified,  that  are  of  more  recent  origin  than  the  Pliocene  Tertiary.  In  this 
county,  we  find  a  series  of  beds,  comprising  an  aggregate  thickness  of  about 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  which  properly  belong  to  this  system.  They  include 
the  surface  soil  and  subsoil,  on  the  uplands,  and  the  alluvial  deposits  of  the 
river  valleys,  the  Loess,  which  is  largely  developed  along  the  bluffs  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, the  Drift  proper,  including  all  the  thick  beds  of  unstratified  clay  and 
gravel,  enclosing  boulders  of  large  size,  and  lastly,  an  ancient  Post  Tertiary 
soil  and  subordinate  clays,  usually  distinctly  stratified,  and  without  boulders, 
•which  rest  immediately  upon  the  stratified  rocks. 

The  soil  at  different  localities,  rests  upon,  and  is,  in  part,  derived  from  each 
of  these  subdivisions  of  the  Quaternary  system,  and  consequently  varies  con- 
siderably in  its  general  appearance  and  productive  qualities,  in  accordance  with 
the  character  of  the  beds  on  which  it  rests,  and  from  which  it  has  been  mainly 
formed. 

The  Alluvial  deposits  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  consist  of  partially  stratified 
sands,  alternating  with  dark  bluish  gray,  or  chocolate  brown  clays,  deposited 


ADAMS    COUNTY.  45 

by  the  annual  floods  of  the  river.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  bluffs,  these  deposits 
are  annually  increased  by  the  wash  from  the  adjacent  hills,  and  the  sediments 
that  are  carried  down  by  the  small  streams  during  their  frequent  overflows. 

The  valley  of  the  Mississippi  has  been  excavated  in  solid  limestone  strata, 
to  the  depth  of  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  feet  or  more,  and 
from  five  to  ten  miles  in  width,  and  as  we  frequently  find  some  portions  of 
this  valley  still  occupied  by  beds  of  unaltered  drift  material,  exactly  like  that 
which  covers  the  adjacent  highlands,  we  have  undoubted  evidence  that  it  was 
»  not  formed  by  the  river  which  now,  in  part,  occupies  it,  but  is  due  to  some 
other  and  more  potent  agency,  dating  back  to  a  period  long  anterior  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  existing  water  courses.  It  is  very  evident,  that  the  surface  of 
the  stratified  rocks  in  this  portion  of  the  State,  have  been  subjected  to  the 
action  of  powerful  denuding  forces,  anterior  to  the  accumulation  of  the  super- 
ficial materials  which  now  occupies  the  surface,  by  which  these  rocks  were 
greatly  eroded,  and  in  many  places  cut  into  deep  valleys,  some  of  which  now 
form  our  river  courses,  while  others  are  wholly  or  partially  filled  with  Drift 
and  Post  Tertiary  beds,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that,  if  we  could  see  a  com- 
plete section  of  the  beds  which  now  occupy  these  ancient  valleys,  we  should 
find  beneath  the  alluvial  beds  already  described,  deposits  even  older  than  any 
which  now  cover  the  adjacent  highlands.  Along  the  banks  of  the  water 
courses,  we  find  only  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  of  the  alluvial  beds  exposed  by 
natural  causes,  and  the  character  of  the  underlying  strata  can  only  be  deter- 
mined by  artificial  excavations. 

The  next  older  division  of  this  system,  is  the  Loess,  a  deposit  of  marly  sand 
and  clay,  which  ranges  in  thickness  from  ten  to  forty  feet,  and  attains  its  greatest 
development  where  it  caps  the  river  bluff's,  thinning  out  rapidly  towards  the 
adjacent  highlands,  which  form  the  summit  level  of  the  interior  portion  of  the 
county.  It  is  usually  of  a  light  buff,  brown,  or  ashen  gray  color,  frequently 
showing  distinct  lines  of  stratification,  and  always  overlies  the  drift  clays, 
when  both  are  present  in  the  same  section.  It  is  usually  quite  sandy,  where 
it  caps  the  river  bluffs,  but  becomes  more  argillaceous  at  other  points  where 
the  beds  are  thinner,  and,  locally,  it  becomes  quite  calcareous.  The  Loess  is 
well  exposed  in  the  bluffs  at  Quincy,  where  it  is  about  forty  feet  in  thickness, 
and  overlies  some  beds  of  plastic  clay  and  sand,  which  are  probably  of  Post 
Tertiary  age,  and  older  than  the  true  drift.  Immediately  above  the  limestone 
here,  we  find  a  few  feet  in  thickness  of  what  might  be  called  "  local  drift," 
consisting  of  angular  fragments  of  chert,  embedded  in  a  brown  clay,  which 
have  probably  been  derived  from  the  subordinate  limestones.  This  is  overlaid 
by  a  few  feet  of  blue  plastic  clay  and  stratified  sands,  on  which  the  Loess  is 
deposited.  At  one  point,  near  the  base  of  the  bluffs,  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  city,  we  observed  underlying  the  Loess,  what  seemed  to  be  a  chocolate 


46  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

colored  soil,  about  a  foot  in  thickness,  which  may  represent  the  Post  Tertiary 
soil,  penetrated  in  the  shaft,  at  Coatsburg,  underlying  the  Drift  deposits. 
Here  the  true  Drift  is  wanting,  and  the  Loess  directly  overlies  these  older 
Post  Tertiary  beds.  Notwithstanding  the  unsolidified  character  of  this  deposit, 
it  is  sufficiently  coherent  to  present  a  vertical  cliff  where  it  is  intersected  by 
artificial  cuts,  and  often  remains  for  years  in  nearly  perpendicular  walls,  where 
it  has  been  cut  through  by  running  streams,  or  in  grading  the  streets  of  the 
cities  that  have  been  built  upon  it.  It  is,  everywhere,  a  fine  sedimentary  accu- 
mulation, and  usually  contains  numerous  terrestrial  and  fresh  water  shells, 
which,  notwithstanding  their  fragile  structure,  are  found  entirely  perfect, 
showing  that  they  have  not  been  subjected  to  any  violent  movements  before 
they  were  buried  in  the  marly  sands  of  this  formation.  The  remains  of  the 
Mammoth,  Mastodon,  Megalonyx,  Casteroides,  and  other  extinct  animals, 
occur  in  the  Loess,  indicating  that  it  is  a  deposit  formed  in  a  fresh  water  lake, 
into  which  the  bones  of  land  animals,  and  the  shells  of  terrestrial  molluscs, 
were  swept  by  the  streams  running  into  it  from  the  adjacent  land.  The  term 
"Loess,"  was  originally  applied  to  a  similar  formation,  which  caps  the  bluffs 
of  the  river  Rhine,  in  Germany,  and  has  been  generally  adopted  by  American 
geologists  to  designate  beds  that  are  similar  in  their  character  and  origin,  to 
those  on  the  Rhine,  and  that  appear  to  have  been  formed  at  about  the  same 
time. 

Drift. — This  formation  is  composed  of  yellowish,  brown  or  blue  clays,  with 
sand,  gravel,  and  large  boulders  of  water-worn  rock,  the  whole  mass  usually 
showing  little  or  no  trace  of  stratification,  and  ranging  in  thickness  from  thirty 
to  eighty  feet  or  more.  It  is  a  heterogenous  mass  of  the  water-worn  fragments 
of  all  the  stratified  rocks  that  are  known  to  occur  for  several  hundred  miles  to 
the  northward,  embedded  in  brown  or  blue  clays,  and  most  of  the  large  bould- 
ers which  it  contains,  are  derived  from  the  metamorphic  sandstones,  granites, 
sienites,  porphyries,  and  other  metamorphic  and  igneous  strata  that  occur  on 
the  borders  of  the  great  lakes.  Associated  with  these,  there  are  also  rounded 
boulders,  usually  of  smaller  size,  derived  from  the  stratified  rocks  of  this  and 
the  adjacent  States.  Fragments  of  native  copper,  galena,  coal  and  iron  ore,  are 
often  intermingled  with  the  general  mass,  but  are  not  indicative  of  mines  of  those 
minerals  in  the  immediate  vicinity  where  such  fragments  are  found,  for  they  have 
been  transported  from  other  localities  by  the  same  powerful  agencies  to  which 
the  Drift  formation  owes  its  origin.  The  coal  shaft  at  Coatsburg  penetrated 
the  thickest  bed  of  Drift  that  has.  perhaps,  been  found  in  this  county,  and  I  am 
indebted  to  Mr.  Joseph  Edwards,  for  the  following  section  of  the  beds  passed 
through  in  sinking  this  shaft : 

FEET.  IN. 

Soil  and  yellowish  clay .  6  00 

Bluish  colored  clay  and  gravel .  45  00 


ADAMS  COUNTY.  47 

Clay,  with  large  boulders 40  00 

Black  soil 2     6 

Clay,  stratified 6  °° 

Very  tough  blue  clay 20  °0 

We  have  in  this  section  eighty -five  feet  of  what  may  be  considered  true  Drift, 
consisting  of  unstratified  clays  containing  gravel  and  boulders.  The  upper  six 
feet  of  the  section  probably  represents  the  age  of  the  Loess  more  properly  than 
any  other  division  of  the  Quaternary  system,  and  its  formation  is  explained  by 
Prof.  Lesquereux,  in  his  chapter  on  the  formation  of  the  prairies,  published  in 
vol.  I  of  this  report,  page  246  et  seq. 

The  ancient  Post  Tertiary  soil,  which  was  reached  at  a  depth  of  ninety-one 
feet  from  the  surface,  and  the  stratified  clays  which  underlie  it,  are  of  an  older 
date  than  the  Drift  proper,  and  were  no  doubt  formed  under  very  different  con- 
ditions. So  far  as  we  are  aware,  this  was  the  first  point  in  the  State  where  a 
bed  resembling  the  surface  soil  was  observed  below  the  Drift,  as  this  shaft  was 
sunk  in  1859,  but  no  public  notice  was  made  of  it  at  that  time,  as  it  was  then 
supposed  to  be  a  merely  local  phenomenon  that  might  not  be  verified  elsewhere. 
Fragments  of  wood,  and  also  of  bones,  were  reported  to  have  been  found  in  it 
here,  but  we  were  not  able  to  obtain  specimens  of  them,  and  cannot  vouch  for  the 
truth  of  the  report.  Susequent  discoveries  at  other  points,  however, 
show  that  wood,  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  is  often  found  in  this 
ancient  soil,  as  well  as  in  the  underlying  stratified  clays,  and  in  the  shaft 
at  Bloomington,  at  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen  feet,  a  considerable 
quantity  of  wood,  some  of  which  was  perfectly  sound,  was  taken  from  a  similar 
deposit  These  stratified  clays,  and  the  sands  frequently  associated  with  them, 
appear  to  have  been  entirely  of  fresh  water  origin,  the  fossil  shells  which  they 
have  afforded  being  all  of  lacustrine  or  fluviatile  species. 

At  Camp  Point,  a  few  miles  east  of  Coatsburg,  the  Quaternary  beds  were  all 
penetrated  in  sinking  a  tank  well  at  the  railroad  station.  They  were  here  only 
sixty  feet  in  thickness,  but  no  note  was  made  of  the  character  of  the  different 
beds  passed  through.  Probably  the  lower  beds  of  stratified  clays,  and  the  an- 
cient soil  above  them,  were  not  found  here,  and  the  beds  passed  through  were 
only  the  surface  soil  and  subsoil,  and  the  true  Drift  deposits.  From  the  soft 
and  yielding  character  of  the  beds,  a  satisfactory  natural  section  of  them  is 
rarely  met  with,  and  it  is  only  where  they  have  been  penetrated  in  sinking  coal 
shafts,  wells,  and  other  artificial  excavations,  that  a  correct  section  of  the  whole 
series  can  be  seen.  Along  the  breaks  of  the  streams,  the  Drift  clays  and  subor- 
dinate beds  of  superficial  material  are  generally  eroded  into  sloping  hill  sides, 
covered  with  soil  and  vegetation,  down  to  the  fundamental  rock  on  which  they 
rest,  and  only  very  meagre  exposures  of  the  beds  are  to  be  found  on  the  water 
courses. 


48  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Fossils  are  but  seldom  found  in  the  Drift  accumulations,  and  they  consist 
entirely  of  the  remains  of  mammalia  ;  no  shells,  either  marine  or  fresh  water, 
having  yet  been  found  in  them  in  this  State. 

Carboniferous    System. 

All  the  paleozoic  rocks  that  appear  above  the  surface  in  this  county,  belong  to 
this  system,  and  comprise  the  lower  portion  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  the  whole 
series  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones,  except  the  Chester  series,  and 
the  lower  part  of  the  Kinderhook  group. 

Coal  Measures. — This  term  is  applied  to  that  portion  of  the  Carboniferous 
system  that  contains  the  workable  seams  of  coal,  and  comprises  shales,  sand- 
stones, bituminous  slates,  and  thin  bands  of  limestone,  with  seams  of  coal  and 
the  fire  clays  that  underlie  them.  The  whole  thickness  of  these  strata  in  this 
county,  probably  nowhere  exceed  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and  they 
include  the  three  lower  coal  seams,  and  the  strata  associated  with  them.  The 
greatest  development  of  this  formation  is  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  county, 
on  Little  Missouri  creek,  where  there  is  an  exposure  of  some  fifty  or  sixty  feet 
of  shales  with  two  thin  beds  of  limestone,  above  No.  2  coal,  which  is  worked  at 
different  points  in  the  valley  of  the  creek. 

The  following  section  will  show  the  general  arrangement  and  thickness  of  the 
coal  strata,  as  they  are  developed  in  this  county : 

FT.          IN. 

Hard,  gray,  nodular  limestone 3  to    6 

Sandy  shale  and  sandstone 25  "  30 

Black  shale 2  "     4 

Coal,  No.  3,  sometimes  wanting 1     8 

Fireclay 2  "     3 

Clay  shale 25  "  30 

Coal,  No.  2 2  "     3 

Fire  clay  and  clay  shale. 4  "  10 

Gray  nodular  limestone 4  "     5 

Shale 10  "  15 

Bituminous  slate 1   "     3 

Coal,  No.  1 li"    2 

Shale  and  sandstone 20  "  30 

The  middle  coal  seam  in  the  above  section,  (No.  2,)  is  the  most  regular  in 
its  development,  and  furnishes  altogether  the  best  coal  in  the  county.  It  out- 
crops on  the  south  fork  of  Bear  creek,  and  is  worked  by  Mr.  Ferguson,  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  17,  township  1  north,  range  6  west.  The  coal  at 
this  point  ranges  from  two  to  three  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  of  good  quality, 
being  generally  quite  free  from  the  bi-sulphuret  of  iron.  The  roof  is  a  bluish 
clay  shale,  of  which,  about  fifteen  feet  in  thickness  is  exposed  at  the  mine, 


ADAMS   COUNTY.  49 

above  which  there  is  a  thin  seam  of  bituminous  shale  and  soft  coal,  indicating 
the  horizon  of  another  coal  seam,  which  has  been  opened  on  another  branch  of 
the  creek,  about  half  a  mile  southeast  of  Ferguson's  mine.  The  coal  in  this 
upper  seam,  which  we  refer  to  No.  3,  is  only  from  eighteen  to  twenty  inches 
in  thickness,  and  is  full  of  iron  pyrites,  at  the  only  point  where  it  had  been 
opened  in  this  vicinity.  It  is  overlaid  by  about  two  feet  of  black  slate,  and  by 
eighteen  to  twenty  feet  of  sandstone. 

A  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  Ferguson's,  on  section  19,  coal  has  been 
mined  for  several  years,  by  stripping  the  seam  along  the  valley  of  a  small 
creek,  a  tributary  of  Bear  creek,  but  the  mines  are  now  abandoned. 

On  Little  Missouri  creek,  six  miles  northeast  of  Clayton,  coal  is  dug  in  the 
same  manner,  by  stripping  the  seam  in  the  creek  valley.  The  seam  is  here 
about  twenty-eight  inches  thick,  and  the  coal  is  of  good  quality.  This  is  on 
section  12,  township  1  north,  range  5  west.  On  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 12,  township  2  north,  range  5  west,  this  seam  has  been  worked  on  Cedar 
creek.  The  coal  is  here  about  thirty  inches  thick,  and  is  underlaid  by  a  white 
fire  clay,  and  overlaid  by  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  of  clay  shale. 

On  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  34,  township  1  north,  range  5  west, 
about  a  mile  southwest  of  Clayton,  a  thin  seam  of  coal  was  opened  in  the  early 
settlement  of  this  part  of  the  county,  where  the  coal  outcrops  on  a  small  branch 
of  McGee's  creek.  The  coal  was  found  to  be  only  from  fourteen  to  sixteen 
inches  thick,  and  was  overlaid  by  four  feet  of  black  shale,  which  contained  a 
few  fossil  shells,  among  which  were,  Discina  nitida,  and  an  Aviculo-pecten. 
This  is,  perhaps,  coal  No.  3,  of  the  above  section.  On  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  36,  township  2  north,  range  8  west,  coal  was  dug  at  an  early  day  on 
Mr.  Higby's  land.  The  coal  was  found  here  in  the  bed  of  a  small  creek,  with 
no  exposure  of  the  beds  associated  with  it,  and  was  mined  by  stripping  the 
seam  of  the  overlying  soil  and  clay.  It  was  said  to  be  from  two  to  three  feet 
in  thickness,  with  six  inches  of  blue  shale,  and  about  a  foot  of  black  shale 
above  it.  The  coal  was  rather  poor  in  quality,  and  is  probably  an  outlier  of 
the  lower  seam,  No.  1.  The  coal  was  underlaid  by  sandstone,  which  was  ex- 
posed near  by,  and  a  half  mile  southwest  of  this  point,  the  concretionary  lime- 
stone of  the  St.  Louis  group  was  found  in  situ. 

South  of  Clayton,  the  country  becomes  quite  rolling  and  hilly,  but  the 
ravines  seldom  expose  the  bed  rock,  and  no  coal  is  found  outcropping,  though 
it  probably  underlies  most  of  the  surface,  north  of  McGee's  creek.  After 
crossing  this  creek  at  Hughes's  ford,  coal  is  found  in  the  bluff  on  the  south 
side,  on  section  28,  township  2  south,  range  5  west,  while  below  ifc,  are  outcrops 
of  the  St.  Louis  and  Keokuk  limestones,  the  latter  forming  the  bed  rock  in  the 
creek  valley.  The  coal  seam  has  been  opened  here  by  Mr.  Luke  Snow,  at  two 
points ;  one  in  the  face  of  the  bluff,  where  a  tunnel  has  been  commenced,  and 
—7 


50  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

the  other,  on  a  small  ravine  still  further  south,  where  the  seam  has  been  worked 
in  an  open  trench  on  the  outcrop.  The  coal  is  here  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
inches  thick  and  is  overlaid  by  about  two  feet  of  bituminous  shale,  above 
which  about  six  feet  of  clay  shale  was  seen.  The  beds  immediately  below  the 
coal  were  not  exposed,  but  we  are  inclined  to  regard  this  as  an  outcrop  of  the 
lower  seam,  No.  1.  On  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  31,  township  2  south, 
rano-e  5  west,  there  is  an  outcrop  of  coal  that  was  known  as  Bassett's  coal  bank, 
and  was  worked  at  the  time  of  our  first  visit  to  this  part  of  the  county,  in  1853. 
The  coal  is  here  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  inches  thick,  and  is  overlaid  by  about 
two  feet  of  black  shale,  containing  numerous  fossils,  among  which  were  a  large 
Distinct,  perhaps  only  a  variety  of  Discina  nitida,  Aviculopecten  Coxana,  A. 
pellucidus,  Productus  muricatus,  Orthisina  crassa,  Orthoceras  Rushensis,  and 
Pleurophorus  soleniformis.  On  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  7,  township  3 
south,  range  6  west,  there  is  a  similar  outcrop  of  coal  and  bituminous  shale, 
the  latter  containing  the  same  fossils  as  at  Bassett's.  South  of  Liberty,  and 
west  of  Kingston,  coal  outcrops  at  various  localities  on  the  head-waters  of  Mc- 
Donald's creek,  and  before  the  construction  of  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  railroad,  the 
beds  were  worked  quite  extensively,  and  the  coal  hauled  on  wagons  to  supply 
the  Quincy  market.  Since  the  construction  of  the  railroad,  however,  coal  can 
be  more  cheaply  obtained  from  the  mines  in  McDonough  county,  and  those 
formerly  worked  in  this  part  of  the  county,  have  been  generally  abandoned. 
There  is,  however,  a  little  coal  still  dug  in  this  vicinity,  to  supply  the  demands 
of  the  immediate  neighborhood.  An  analysis  of  Bassett's  coal,  reported  in  Dr. 
Norwood's  "Analysis  of  Illinois  Coals,"  made  by  Mr.  Henry  Pratten,  gave  the 
following  results: 

Specific  gravity 1.2684 

Loss  in  coking 42.52 

Total  weight  of  coke 57.48 

100.00 

Analysis:     Moisture 9.20 

Volatile  matters 33.32 

Carbon  in  coke 51.48 

Ashes,  pale  red 6.00 

100.00 
Carbon  in  coal 55.91 

The  Coal  Measures  in  the  south  part  of  this  county,  as  in  Pike,  are  quite 
irregular  in  their  development,  and  seem  to  assume  the  character  of  outliers 
from  the  main  coal  field.  North  of  Columbus,  the  three  lower  seams  are  found 
in  their  regular  order,  although  not  all  equally  constant  in  their  development. 
Coal  No.  2,  or  the  Colchester  seam,  is  by  far  the  most  constant,  and  will  prob- 
ably be  found  underlying  nearly  all  of  townships  1  and  2  north,  in  ranges  5  and 
6  west,  in  this  county,  and  may  be  reached  by  shafts,  at  a  depth  varying  from 


ADAMS   COUNTY.  51 

seventy-five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  according  to  the  thickness  of  the 
Quaternary  beds  at  the  different  points.  At  Camp  Point,  No.  2  was  found  at 
the  depth  of  ninety  feet,  and  at  Coatsburg,  at  129  feet.  Its  general  thickness 
is  from  two  to  two  and. a  half  feet,  being  about  the  same  here  as  in  McDonough 
county.  The  quality  of  the  coal  is  good,  but  the  seam  seldom  has  a  good  roof, 
and,  consequently,  requires  considerable  expenditure  for  cribbing,  where  the 
mines  are  to  be  worked  permanently.  South  of  Columbus,  there  is  no  devel- 
opment of  coal  in  this  county,  that  would  justify  the  expectation  of  its  ever 
becoming  a  valuable  mining  region,  though  considerable  coal  may  be  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  Liberty  and  Kingston,  extending  south  to  the  Pike  county  line, 
perhaps  sufficient  for  the  local  supply  of  that  part  of  the  county  for  some  years 
to  come.  Mill  creek,  on  the  western  borders  of  this  region,  and  McGee's 
creek,  on  the  east,  show  continuous  exposures  throughout  their  whole  course 
of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones,  that  lie  entirely  below  the  Coal  Meas- 
ures, and  clearly  define  a  horizon,  below  which  no  workable  coal  seam  has  ever 
been  found.  These  limestones  may  be  reached  any  where  over  the  coal  field 
in  this  county,  at  a  depth  of  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet,  and  when  reached,  a 
further  search  for  coal,  by  going  deeper,  will  only  result  in  failure.  In  the 
northern  portion  of  the  county,  the  Coal  Measures  rest  upon  the  St.  Louis 
limestone,  and  hence  the  outcrop  of  this  rock  is  a  valuable  guide,  in  determining 
the  boundary  of  the  coal  area ;  but  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county, 
this  limestone  is  not  found,  and  the  Coal  Measures  rest  upon  a  lower  division 
of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  series,  as  they  also  do  in  Pike  county.  This  has 
resulted  from  the  erosion  of  the  limestone  strata  before  the  coal  epoch,  by 
which  the  upper  beds  have  been  wholly,  or  partially  removed,  allowing  the 
Coal  Measures  to  rest  unconformably  upon  the  lower  divisions  of  the  series. 
But  whenever  any  division  of  this  limestone  series  is  reached  in  searching  for 
coal,  it  is  entirely  useless  to  extend  the  search  below  that  horizon. 

St.  Louis  Limestone. — This  division  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  series,  as 
has  already  been  remarked,  usually  forms  the  substratum  on  which  the  Coal 
Measures  rest,  and  will  be  found  outcropping  immediately  below  the  sandstone 
which  forms  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures,  in  the  northwestern,  as  well  as  the 
southeastern  portions  of  the  county.  The  upper  division  of  this  formation  is 
usually  a  light  gray  concretionary,  or  brecciated  limestone,  from  five  to  twenty 
feet  in  thickness,  below  which,  there  is  usually  a  regularly  bedded  brown,  or 
brownish  gray  magnesian  limestone,  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  thick,  which 
locally  becomes  shaly,  and  passes  into  a  calcareous  or  argillaceous  shale.  The 
concretionary  limestone  sometimes  contains  irregular  seams  of  green  shale,  or 
marly  clay,  disseminated  through  it,  and  at  some  points,  as  at  Butt's  Mill,  on 
McGee's  creek,  is  entirely  replaced  by  green  shales.  At  this  point,  there  is 
about  thirty  feet  in  thickness  of  this  group  exposed,  consisting  of  regularly 


52  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

bedded  limestones  at  the  base,  passing  upward  into  green  and  bluish  colored 
shales,  which  are  overlaid  by  ferruginous  sandstone,  the  latter  representing  the 
base  of  the  Coal  Measures.  On  Waters's  Branch,  a  half  mile  south  of  this 
mill,  there  is  a  fine  exposure  of  the  regularly  bedded  limestone  of  this  group, 
about  ten  feet  thick,  forming  a  perpendicular  wall  along  the  banks  of  the  creek. 
There  is  a  bed  of  earthy  gray  limestone  about  four  feet  thick,  intercalated  in 
it  at  this  point,  that  appears  like  a  hydraulic  rock.  The  concretionary  mem- 
ber of  this  group,  outcrops  on  the  upper  course  of  McGee's  creek,  three  miles 
southeast  of  Columbus,  and  with  the  regularly  bedded  limestones  below,  con- 
tinues along  the  bluffs  of  this  creek,  through  its  whole  course  in  this  county. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Hughes's  ford,  on  section  27,  township  2  south,  range  5  west, 
the  brown  magnesian  limestone  of  this  series  is  well  exposed,  the  bed  ranging 
from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  thickness.  It  is  about  thirty  feet  above  the  bed  of 
the  creek,  and  overlies  the  geodiferous  shales  of  the  Keokuk  group,  which 
extend  below  the  creek  level.  In  the  Coatsburg  coal  shaft,  this  limestone  was 
reached  at  a  depth  of  about  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  feet,  and  the  shaft 
was  carried  on  through  it,  and  into  the  geodiferous  shales  of  the  Keokuk 
group,  where  it  terminated  at  a  depth  of  about  two  hundred  feet.  On  the 
Walnut  fork  of  Mill  creek,  about  four  miles  a  little  south  of  west  from  Colum- 
bus, this  limestone  is  exposed  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  21,  township 
1  south,  range  7  west,  and  as  it  is  only  about  seven  miles  to  its  outcrop  on  Mc- 
Gee's creek,  east  of  that  town,  it  is  probable  that  it  constitutes  the  bed  rock 
entirely  across  the  divide  between  these  points,  and  separates  the  coal,  south 
of  Columbus,  from  that  in  the  north  part  of  the  county.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Mendon,  this  limestone  was  met  with  at  several  points,  and  is  overlaid  by  the 
coarse  qu.artzose  sandstone  of  the  Coal  Measures.  Here  the  upper  part  of  it  is 
a  light  gray,  more  or  less  concretionary  rock,  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  in  thick- 
ness, below  which,  we  find  the  brown  magnesian  limestone,  and  the  shaly  beds, 
which  form  the  lower  division  of  the  group.  This  limestone  is  also  found  well 
exposed  on  the  tributaries  of  Bear  creek,  in  township  2  north,  range  8  west, 
and  on  the  main  creek,  on  its  upper  course,  for  some  distance  further  east, 
where  it  passes  beneath  the  Coal  Measures,  and  the  latter  becomes  the  bed  rock 
over  all  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  county. 

This  limestone  may  be  readily  distinguished  from  any  of  the  lower  divisions 
of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  series,  either  by  its  lithological  characters  or  the 
fossils  which  it  contains.  The  light  grey  concretionary  limestone,  is  charac- 
terized by  two  species  of  fossil  corals,  one  or  both  of  which  may  be  found  at 
nearly  every  locality  where  the  rock  is  exposed,  and  are  often  met  with  in  fine 
specimens,  weathered  out  of  the  limestone,  and  lying  in  detached  masses  in  the 
debris  along  the  streams.  They  are  generally  silicious,  and  where  they  have 
not  been  rolled  and  water-worn  after  being  detached  from  the  rock,  they  retain 


ADAMS  COUNTY,  53 

perfectly  their  original  form  and  are  frequently  of  a  reddish  pink  color  from 
the  silicious  matter,  which  has  replaced  the  carbonate  of  lime  in  the  original 
coral.  These  corals  belong  to  the  genus  Lithostrotion,  and  are  known  as  the 
L.  canadense  and  L.  proliferum,  and  the  former  species,  which  usually  occurs  in 
massive  forms,  is  popularly  known  as  "  petrified  honey  comb,"  from  the  polygo- 
nal form  of  the  numerous  calyces  of  which  it  is  composed. 

In  the  magnesian  and  shaly  beds  of  this  group,  fossils  are  usually  quite 
abundant,  and  among  the  most  striking  forms  we  may  mention  the  screw  shaped 
fossil,  known  as  the  Archimedes,  the  axis  of  a  peculiar  form  of  Bryozoa.  The 
largest  form  of  this  interesting  genus,  the  A.  Wortheni,  of  Hall,  is  found 
abundantly  through  the  shaly  beds  of  this  group,  and  some  of  the  largest 
specimens  attain  to  a  foot  or  more  in  length.  Various  other  forms  of  Bryozoa 
also  abound  in  this  rock,  and  at  some  localities,  the  magnesian  beds  of  this 
group  appear  to  be  in  good  part  composed  of  the  delicate,  reticulated  remains 
of  this  class  of  organic  forms.  Marine  shells  are  also  abundant  in  the  same 
beds,  among  which  are  Spirifer  lateralis,  S.  sub-sequalis,  Rhynchonella  mutata, 
R.  subcuneata,  Retzia  Verneuiliana,  Orthis  dubia,  Terebratula  hastata,  Platyce- 
ras,  acutirostris,  and  Productus  Altonensis.  A  knowledge  of  these  species  will 
enable  the  observer  to  identify  this  formation  wherever  it  may  appear,  as  some 
of  them  have  a  wide  geographical  range,  especially  the  Lithostrotion  canadense, 
which  is  known  to  range  from  Illinois  to  Alabama,  and  on  a  recent  visit  to  Utah, 

/>>X^"I  ^-*w£<— 

we  found  it  embedded  in  the  highly  metapjbewa  limestones  of  the  Wahsatch  moun- 
tains, within  twenty  miles  of  Salt  Lake  City.  Hence  we  may  understand  the 
great  value  of  fossils  to  the  geological  observer,  as  they  enable  him  to  establish 
the  identity  of  strata  at  widely  separated  points,  where  the  lithological  charac- 
ters of  the  beds  are  completely  changed,  and  where  it  would  be  impossible  to 
trace  the  continuity  of  the  strata. 

Keokuk  Group. — This  group  immediately  underlies  the  limestone  just  des- 
cribed, and  usually  appears  in  two  well  marked  divisions.  The  upper  one 
consists  of  bluish  gray  or  grayish  brown  calcareo-argillaceous  shales,  and  shaly 
limestones,  enclosing  silicious  geodes  of  various  sizes,  some  of  them  a  foot  or 
more  in  diameter,  a  part  of  which  are  solid  spheres  of  crystalline  quartz,  cov- 
ered externally  with  a  thin  coating  of  chalcedony,  while  others  are  hollow,  and 
have  their  inner  surfaces  covered  with  beautiful  crystals  of  quartz,  calcite,  or 
dolomite,  or  with  the  mammillary  forms  of  chalcedony.  Crystals  of  arragonite, 
iron  pyrites  and  zinc  blende  are  are  also  occasionally  found  in  these  silicious 
geodes,  and  the  finest  cabinet  specimens  of  the  crystallized  minerals  above 
mentioned  to  be  found  in  this  State,  are  obtained  from  this  bed.  The  shales 
and  shaly  limestones  in  which  the  geodes  were  originally  embedded,  yields 
readily  to  the  influence  of  frost  and  moisture,  and  the  silicious  geodes  are 
readily  weathered  out  and  may  be  found  in  great  numbers  in  the  beds  of  the 


54  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

small  streams  by  which  this  formation  is  intersected.  The  Coatsburg  coal 
shaft  terminated  in  this  bed  at  a  depth  of  about  two  hundred  feet  below  the 
surface,  and  we  obtained  several  finely  crystallized  geodes  here  in  1860, 
from  the  material  that  had  been  thrown  out  of  this  shaft.  This  division  of 
the  group  is  about  forty  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  well  exposed  on  McGree's 
creek,  and  some  of  its  tributaries,  and  also  on  Bear  creek,  and  some  of  the 
smaller  streams  in  the  western  part  of  the  county.  Locally,  this  portion  of 
the  group  becomes  quite  calcareous,  and  the  beds  are  then  filled  with  the  same 
species  of  fossil  shells  and  corals  that  characterize  the  lower  division.  Another 
species  of  Archimedes  much  smaller  than  that  found  in  the  St.  Louis  group, 
called  the  A.  Owenana,  occurs  both  in  the  upper  and  lower  divisions  of  this 
group,  and  is  the  oldest  known  form  of  this  interesting  genus  of  fossil 
Bryozoa. 

The  lower  division  of  the  Keokuk  group,  consists  mainly  of  bluish  gray 
limestones  in  quite  regular  beds,  varying  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  in  thick- 
ness, separated  by  intercalations  of  buff  or  blue  shale,  or  marly  clay.  Towards 
the  base  it  is  very  thin  bedded  and  cherty,  the  flinty  material  predominating 
greatly  over  the  calcareous.  These  beds  are  well  exposed  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  quarries  at  Quincy,  especially  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  where 
extensive  quarries  have  been  opened  in  these  cherty  beds,  and  also  on  the 
small  creek  at  Whipple's  mill,  where  they  gradually  pass  upward  into  the  more 
regularly  bedded  limestones  above.  At  Col.  Jamieson's  place,  two  miles  north- 
east of  Quincy,  the  regularly  bedded  limestones  of  this  group,  the  equivalents 
of  the  beds  quarried  at  Nauvoo  and  Keokuk  are  exposed,  and  higher  up  on  the 
creek  above  mentioned,  and  a  mile  and  a  half  further  east,  the  quarries  were 
opened  in  this  limestone  to  furnish  the  foundation  stone  for  Gov.  Wood's  man- 
sion, in  Quincy.  These  quarries  afforded  an  evenly  bedded,  bluish  gray, 
semi-crystalline  limestone,  in  beds  from  six  to  twenty  inches  thick,  and  furnish- 
ed large  slabs  of  dimension  stone,  from  the  facility  with  which  the  rock  could 
be  split  into  the  desired  form  The  quarry  rock  at  this  point  is  directly  over- 
laid by  the  brown  shales  of  the  geode  bed. 

From  Quincy  to  the  north  line  of  the  county,  this  limestone  outcrops  at 
various  points  along  the  river  bluffs,  and  is  well  exposed  on  Bear  creek,  near 
the  Lima  and  Quincy  road,  where  it  forms  a  mural  cliff  from  forty  to  fifty  feet 
in  bight.  It  is  also  found  on  all  the  small  streams  in  the  west  part  of  the 
county  as  far  south  as  Mill  creek,  and  on  both  forks  of  that  stream,  though 
not  on  the  main  creek.  The  regularly  bedded  limestones  of  this  group,  are 
mainly  composed  of  organic  matter,  and  are  formed  from  the  calcareous  por- 
tions of  the  molluscs,  crinoids  and  corals,  which  existed  in  such  countless 
numbers  in  the  carboniferous  ocean  during  this  period  of  the  earth's  history, 
as  to  furnish  the  greater  part  of  the  material  required  to  form  entire  groups  of 


ADAMS  COUNTY.  55 

limestone  strata.  All  these  animals  secrete  the  carbonate  of  lime  to  form  the 
habitations  in  which  they  live,  and  the  solid  integuments  of  their  various  parts, 
and  these  calcareous  fragments,  cemented  together  by  the  chemical  precipitation 
of  the  mineral  matters  held  in  solution  by  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  now  consti- 
tute many  of  the  limestones  and  marbles,  out  of  which  our  cities  are  built, 
and  which  enter  so  largely,  under  various  forms,  into  the  economic  uses  of 
human  life.  The  alternations  of  limestone  with  seams  of  clay  or  shale,  indi- 
cate the  changing  conditions  that  prevailed  in  the  ocean  at  this  time,  as  these 
clay  seams  are  formed  by  the  muddy  sediments  that  at  various  times  were  intro- 
duced by  currents  or  other  causes  into  the  ocean,  which,  settling  to  the  bottom, 
formed  the  shaly  sedimentary  strata  by  which  the  limestones  are  separated. 
The  characteristic  fossils  of  this  group  occur  almost  everywhere,  that  the  rock 
is  exposed.  In  the  debris  of  the  old  quarries  northeast  of  Quincy  we  found 
Archimedes  Owenana,  Agaricocrinus  Americanus,  Actinocrinus  pernodosus,  A. 
l>iturbinatus,  Spirifer  Keokuk,  Productus  punctatus,  and  Zaphrentis  dalii.  In 
the  quarries  at  Quincy  we  obtained  Aviculopecten  amplus,  Spirifer  striding,  and 
Productus  semireticulatus,  from  the  cherty  beds  at  the  base  of  the  group. 

Burlington  Limestone. — This  formation  differs  but  little  in  its  lithological 
characters  from  the  lower  portion  of  the  Keokuk  limestone,  but  it  is  usually  of 
a  lighter  gray  color,  and  contains  intercalated  beds  of  buff  or  brown  limestone, 
while  the  bands  of  argillaceous  shale,  which  separate  the  beds  in  the  Keokuk 
group,  are  not  seen  in  this.  There  is,  however,  one  band  of  green  clay,  or 
clay  shale,  from  one  to  six  inches  in  thickness,  intercalated  in  the  beds  at 
Quincy  about  midway  from  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  the  exposure  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  city,  where  the  beds  are  well  exposed.  At  the  quarries  in  the 
upper  layers  of  the  limestone,  opposite  the  steamboat  landing,  the  cherty  beds 
belonging  to  the  Keokuk  group  are  quarried,  but  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city, 
the  underlying  limestones  are  well  exposed,  and  are  extensively  quarried  to 
supply  the  demand  for  building  stone,  and  for  burning  into  lime.  The  rock  is 
tolerably  even  bedded,  and  affords  some  layers  two  feet  or  more  in  thickness 
which,  when  free  from  chert,  may  be  cut  with  facility,  and  forms  an  excellent 
building  stone. 

The  following  is  a  section  of  the  rocks  exposed  in  the  bluffs  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  City  of  Quincy  : 


Loess  capping  the  bluff 62 

Thin  bedded,  cherty  limestone,  (Keokuk.) 13 

Light  gray  limestone,  (Burlington.) 12 

Band  of  green  shaly  clay,  (Burlington.) 0  4  in 

Buff  and  light  gray  limestones,  (Burlington.) 36 


56  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  lower  forty-eight  feet  of  this  section  belongs  to  the  Burlington  limestone, 
and  furnishes  most  of  the  building  stone,  and  limestone  for  the  manufacture  of 
quick  lime,  to  supply  the  city  and  adjacent  country.  The  light  gray  limestones 
are  a  nearly  pure  carbonate  of  lime  in  their  composition,  and  often  contain 
pockets,  lined  with  beautiful  crystals  of  calcite.  The  buff  and  brown  layers 
contain  carbonate  of  magnesia  and  iron  in  small  quantities,  and  some  of  the 
lower  beds  of  this  formation  are  highly  magnesian,  and  approach  a  true  dolo- 
mite in  their  composition.  On  Mill  creek,  at  the  old  mill,  six  miles  southeast 
of  Quincy,  there  is  about  forty  feet  of  this  limestone  exposed,  the  lower  part 
of  which  consists  of  alternating  beds  of  light  gray  and  brown  limestone,  all 
of  which  are  probably  more  or  less  magnesian  in  their  composition,  and  afford 
an  excellent  building  stone,  comparatively  free  from  chert,  and  sufficiently 
massive  to  furnish  dimension  stone  of  any  desired  size.  From  this  point,  to 
the  south  line  of  the  county,  this  limestone  forms  continuous  outcrops  along 
the  river  bluffs,  the  exposures  ranging  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  feet  or  more  in 
thickness.  This  limestone  outcrops  only  over  a  limited  area  in  the  southwest 
part  of  the  county,  and  a  line  drawn  from  the  city  of  Quincy  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  township  3  south,  range  7  west,  would  represent  very  nearly  its 
eastern  boundary,  while  its  western  would  be  determined  by  the  river  bluffs. 
The  quarries  at  Quincy  have  afforded  a  good  many  fine  examples  of  the  fossils 
peculiar  to  this  group,  among  which  the  following  are  the  most  common  spe- 
cies :  Spirifer  plenus,  S.  Grimesi,  Atliyris  lamettosa.  A.  incrassatus,  Chonetes 
Illinoisensis,  Productus  semireticulatus,  P.  punctatus,  Metoptoma  umbella,  Pla- 
tyceras  Quincy  ensis,  P.  biserialis,  Actinocrinus  Verneuilianus,  A.  ohlatus,  A. 
Hageri,  A.  Christyi,  A.  pyriformis,  Granatocrinm  Norwoodi,  and  G.  melo. 
From  the  lower  beds  of  this  limestone,  exposed  in  the  river  bluffs,  between 
Mill  creek  and  the  south  line  of  the  county,  we  obtained  Actinocrinus  carica, 
a  very  rare  species,  not  yet  found  at  any  other  locality  in  the  State,  A.  uni- 
cornis,  A.  clarus,  A.  discoideusj  A.  verrucosus,  Strotocrinus  umbrosus,  Codo- 
naster  stettiformis,  and  Pentremites  elongatus,  with  three  species  of  Plutycrinus 
not  yet  determined.  At  Quincy,  we  obtained  a  number  of  specimens  of  the 
remains  of  cartilaginous  fishes,  consisting  of  teeth  and  spines,  and  noticed 
one  layer  of  limestone,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  quarries,  that  was  well  filled 
with  these  fragmentary  remains.  The  large  spine,  Physonemus  gigas)  figured 
on  PI.  II,  was  obtained  from  the  quarries  at  Thayer's  mill,  about  a  mile 
below  the  city.  The  "  fish  bed  "  of  this  division  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous 
series  was  first  noticed  at  Quincy,  and  a  fine  series  of  teeth  and  spines  were 
obtained  from  it  as  early  as  1854. 

The  fossil  shells  and  crinoids  above  named,  are  nearly  all  of  them  peculiar 
to  this  rock,  and  an  acquaintance  with  them  will  enable  the  observer  to  dis- 
tinguish this  limestone  from  the  Keokuk  group,  to  which  it  is  closely  allied  in 


ADAMS   COUNTY.  57 

its  lithological  characters,  being  largely  composed,  like  that,  of  the  calcareous 
portions  of  the  marine  animals  that  swarmed,  in  countless  numbers,  in  the  old 
Carboniferous  ocean  in  which  these  limestones  were  formed.  Nearly  all  of  the 
purely  calcareous  strata  of  this  formation,  are  made  up  of  the  remains  of  marine 
animals,  in  which  the  Crinoidea,,  or  Encrinites,  largely  predominate,  and  hence 
it  has  been  called  the  Orinoidal,  or  Encrinital  limestone,  by  some  of  the  early 
observers.  It  contains  a  good  deal  of  chert  or  flint,  disseminated  through  it 
in  seams  and  nodules,  sometimes  forming  irregular  layers  between  the  limestone 
strata,  but  more  frequently  in  detached  nodular  or  ovoid  masses,  in  the  lime- 
stones. These  chert  bands  and  nodules  furnished  the  flints,  so  much  used  by 
the  Indians  in  the  manufacture  of  spears,  arrow-heads,  and  other  rude  imple- 
ments, and  it  was  probably  the  most  useful  and  valuable  mineral  known  to 
them,  anterior  to  their  acquaintance  with  the  white  man. 

This  limestone  will  be  found  at  the  base  of  the  bluffs,  for  a  few  miles  north 
of  Quincy,  but  at  so  low  a  level  as  to  be  seldom  exposed  by  the  natural  outcrop 
of  the  strata.  On  Mill  creek,  it  may  be  found  for  several  miles  up  the  creek, 
and  on  all  the  smaller  streams,  to  the  south  line  of  the  county,  it  forms  the 
principal  rock  exposed. 

Kinderhook  Group. — Immediately  beneath  the  Burlington  limestone,  we 
find  a  series  of  sedimentary  strata,  consisting  of  sandy  and  argillaceous  shales, 
and  thin  beds  of  impure  limestone,  only  a  portion  of  which  appear  above  the 
surface  in  this  county,  to  which  the  name  Kinderhook  group  has  been  applied, 
from  their  fine  exposure  near  the  village  of  Kinderhook,  in  Pike  county.  The 
first  considerable  exposure  met  with  in  this  county,  was  at  Fall  creek,  twelve 
miles  below  Quincy,  where  there  is  about  thirty  feet  of  this  group  to  be  seen 
in  the  creek  bluffs  beneath  the  Burlington  limestone.  The  section  here  is  as 
follows : 

FEET. 

Burlington  limestone _  20 

Sandy  shale  and  sandstone 20 

Thin  bedded,  silicious  limestone JQ 

Shale  to  the  creek  level g 

This  formation  is  altogether  about  a  hundred  feet  in  thickness,  and  fre- 
quently has  a  bed  of  black,  or  chocolate  colored  shale  intercalated  in  the  lower 
portion,  which  has  led  many  to  the  belief  that  coal  might  be  found  in  it. 
This  black  shale  was  reached,  in  the  boring  made  just  below  the  city  of  Quincy, 
in  search  of  coal,  at  a  depth  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  but  does  not 
come  to  the  surface  anywhere  in  this  county.  As  it  lies  nearly  four  hundred 
feet  below  any  coal  seam  known  in  this  country,  all  the  time  and  money  spent 
in  the  search  for  coal  in  this  formation,  can  only  result  in  pecuniary  loss  and 
disappointment.  This  group  is  exceedingly  variable  in  its  lithological  charac- 
ters, and  at  some  localities,  it  becomes  quite  calcareous,  and  consists  mainly  of 
—8 


58  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

calcareous  shales  and  magnesian  limestones.  The  bed  of  silicious  limestone 
near  the  base  of  the  above  section,  may  represent  the  light  blue,  or  dove  col- 
ored limestone,  called  in  the  Missouri  Report,  "  Lithographic  Limestone,"  but 
at  this  locality,  it  appears  more  like  a  stratified  flint  than  anything  else.  Fos- 
sils are  quite  abundant  in  the  silicious  gritstones  at  Kinderhook,  and  several 
points  in  Pike  county,  but  none  were  found  at  the  exposures  on  Fall  creek. 
The  outcrop  of  this  formation  in  Adams  county,  is  restricted  to  the  vicinity  of 
the  river  bluffs,  from  this  creek  to  the  south  line  of  the  county. 

Economical     Geology* 

Bituminous  Coal. — About  one-half  of  the  entire  area  of  Adams  county  is 
underlaid  by  the  Coal  Measures,  embracing  the  central  and  eastern  portions  of 
the  county,  and  the  strata  developed  here,  include  the  three  lower  coal 
seams,  and  the  beds  usually  associated  with  them,  but  the  coal  seams,  except 
the  middle  one,  are  very  irregular  in  their  development,  and  therefore  be- 
come of  little  value  for  the  production  of  coal.  The  middle  seam,  or  No.  2, 
the  equivalent  of  the  Colchester  coal  in  McDonough  county,  is  generally  quite 
regular  in  its  development,  and  will  be  found  underlying  most  of  the  region 
north  and  east  of  Columbus.  Its  average  thickness  is  a  little  over  two  feet, 
though  it  frequently  attains  to  thirty  inches,  and  sometimes  to  three  feet.  The 
coal  it  affords  is  of  a  fair  quality,  and  in  some  respects,  above  the  average  of 
our  western  coals.  The  analysis  of  Bassett's  coal,  given  on  a  preceding  page, 
will  serve  to  indicate  the  quality  of  the  coal  obtained  from  the  southern  part 
of  the  county,  and  may  be  compared  with  the  following  analysis  of  Higby's 
coal,  two  miles  north  of  Mendon,  which  I  believe  to  be  an  outlier  of  coal 
No.  1.  This  analysis  was  made  by  the  late  Mr.  Henry  Pratten,  and  is  given 
in  Norwood's  "Analysis  of  Illinois  Coals"  : 

Specific  gravity 1.3354 

Loss  in  coking 48.4 

Total  weight  of  coke 51.6 

100.00 

Analysis:  Moisture 10.0 

Volatile  matters 38.4 

Carbon  in  coke 41.2 

Ashes  (yellow) 10.4  • 

100.00 

Carbon  in  coal 48.0 

This  is  a  heavier  coal  than  that  from  No.  2,  and  contains  about  seven  per 
cent,  less  of  fixed  carbon,  according  to  the  analysis  here  given.  The  coals 
from  Nos.  1  and  3,  are  usually  inferior  in  quality  to  that  obtained  from  No.  2, 
and  the  two  former  are  not  likely  to  be  found  sufficiently  persistent  in  their  de- 
velopment in  this  county,  to  be  of  any  great  economical  value  for  the  produc- 


ADAMS   COUNTY.  59 

tion  of  fossil  fuel.  Over  all  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  county,  No.  2  has 
been  found  wherever  the  Measures  have  been  penetrated  to  the  proper  depth, 
or  where  the  right  horizon  has  been  exposed  by  natural  causes.  The  principal 
drawback  to  the  successful  mining  of  this  seam,  is  the  shaly  character  of  the 
roof,  which  is  usually  a  blue  clay  shale,  though  it  has  been  seen  at  a  few  local- 
ities where  it  was  overlaid  by  a  bituminous  shale,  which  forms  a  good  roof. 
This  coal  seam  will  afford,  according  to  the  usual  mining  estimates,  about  two 
million  tons  of  coal  to  each  square  mile  of  surface  which  it  underlies,  and 
although  at  the  present  time,  there  is  but  little  demand  for  coal  except  along 
the  railroad  lines,  yet  the  time  is  not  very  remote,  when  a  good  coal,  two  feet 
or  more  in  thickness,  will  be  considered  of  sufficient  value  and  importance  to 
be  opened,  wherever  it  can  be  reached  at  a  depth  not  exceeding  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the  surface. 

Building  Stone. — All  the  principal  limestone  groups  of  this  county,  furnish 
more  or  less  building  stone  of  good  quality,  and  there  are  but  few  points  in  the 
western  part  of  the  county,  where  some  of  them  are  not  easily  accessible  in  the 
bluffs  or  valleys  of  the  streams.  The  Burlington  limestone,  which  is  exten- 
sively quarried  at  Quincy,  is  one  of  the  most  important  and  valuable  deposits 
of  building  stone  in  the  county,  and  as  its  aggregate  thickness  is  about  one 
hundred  feet,  nearly  all  of  which  may  be  used  as  a  building  stone,  the  supply 
from  this  formation  alone  might  be  fairly  considered  as  inexhaustible.  It  is 
for  the  most  part,  a  light  gray,  or  nearly  white  semi-crystalline  limestone,  which 
cuts  easily  when  free  from  chert,  and  is  an  excellent  stone  for  dry  walls,  as 
well  as  for  caps  and  sills,  and  all  the  ordinary  purposes  for  which  cut  stone  are 
required.  The  buff  and  brown  layers  contain  a  small  per  cent,  of  iron  and 
magnesia,  and  the  surface  becomes  more  or  less  stained  by  long  exposure,  but 
the  light  gray  beds  are  a  nearly  pure  carbonate  of  lime  in  their  composition, 
and  generally  retain  their  original  color.  The  lower  portion  of  the  Keokuk 
limestone  is  similar  to  the  Burlington  in  its  composition,  but  is  usually  of  a 
little  darker  bluish  gray  color.  The  brown  magnesian  limestone  of  the  St. 
Louis  group,  is  an  evenly  stratified  rock,  admirably  adapted  for  common  use 
in  foundation  walls,  and  especially  for  bridge  abutments  and  culverts,  where  a 
rock  is  required  to  withstand  the  combined  action  of  frost  and  moisture.  This 
rock  may  be  found  in  the  bluffs  of  McGrce's  creek,  through  nearly  its  whole 
course  in  this  county,  and  also  on  Bear  creek  and  its  tributaries,  in  the  north- 
west part  of  the  county.  The  bed  is  variable  in  thickness,  ranging  from  five 
to  twenty  feet,  and  it  often  affords  massive  strata  from  two  to  three  feet  thick. 
In  the  vicinity  of  Ferguson's  coal  bank,  four  miles  northwest  of  Camp  Point, 
there  is  an  outcrop  of  brown  sandstone  overlying  coal  No.  3,  which  seems  to 
stand  exposure  well,  as  it  forms  a  mural  cliff,  nearly  twenty  feet  high,  along 


60  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

the  creek  for  some  distance,  and  would  probably  make  a  durable  building  stone. 
There  are  but  few  counties  in  this  State  where  good  building  stone  is  so  abund- 
ant, and  easily  accessible  to  all  parts  of  the  county,  as  here. 

Limestone  for  Lime. — Most  of  the  limestone  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
quick  lime,  is  obtained  from  the  Burlington  limestone,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Quincy,  and  a  large  amount  of  this  article  is  produced  annually  for  the  supply 
of  the  city  and  the  adjacent  country.  The  light  gray  beds  of  the  Burlington, 
and  the  bluish  gray  strata  of  the  Keokuk  group,  are  either  of  them  sufficiently 
free  from  silicious,  or  other  foreign  material,  when  carefully  selected,  to  pro- 
duce a  quick  lime  of  excellent  quality.  The  upper  or  concretionary  bed  of  the 
St.  Louis  group  is  also,  at  many  localities,  a  very  pure  carbonate  of  lime,  and 
may  be  found  useful  for  this  purpose  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county, 
•where  the  underlying  formations  are  not  accessible.  Its  outcrop  is  mainly 
around  the  borders  of  the  coal  formation,  immediately  below  the  sandstone 
conglomerate  which  usually  forms  the  base  of  the  coal  series. 

Fire  and  Potter's  Clays. — The  under  clays  of  coal  seams  No.  1  and  2,  are 
usually  of  good  quality,  and  where  the  strata  are  of  sufficient  thickness,  they 
become  valuable  deposits  of  fire  clay,  and  may  be  successfully  worked  in  con. 
nection  with  the  coal  seams.  At  some  points,  there  is  a  bed  of  fine,  light  blue 
clay  shale,  intervening  between  these  two  coal  seams,  which,  on  exposure, 
weathers  to  a  fine  plastic  clay,  and  forms  an  excellent  potter's  clay.  This  is 
the  bed  from  which  the  clays  used  in  the  potteries  at  Ripley,  in  Brown  county, 
have  been  obtained.  This  bed  of  clay  shale  is  exposed  at  various  points  in 
this  county,  and  will  furnish  an  abundant  supply  of  potter's  clay,  while  the 
under  clay  6f  No.  2  may  be  used  for  the  manufacture  of  fire  brick. 

Clay  and  Sand  for  Brick. — The  sub-soil  clays  of  this  county,  intermingled 
with  the  fine  sand  of  the  Loess,  forms  an  excellent  material  for  the  manu- 
facture of  common  brick,  and  may  be  obtained  almost  anywhere  in  the 
western  part  of  the  county,  and  there  are  but  few  points  in  the  State  that 
have  produced  as  good  an  article  of  common  brick,  as  has  been  manufactured 
for  many  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Quincy.  In  the  eastern  part  of  the  county, 
where  the  Loess  is  wanting,  the  sand  for  this  purpose  may  be  readily  obtained 
in  the  alluvial  valleys  of  the  small  streams.  These  materials  are  so  universally 
abundant,  that  almost  every  farmer  in  the  county  may  find  them  at  hand  upon 
his  own  premises,  for  the  manufacture  of  all  the  brick  required  for  building 
purposes. 

Soil  and  Timber. — As  an  agricultural  region,  this  county  is  not  surpassed  by 
any  other  portion  of  the  State  of  the  same  geographical  area.  The  western 
portion  of  the  county,  including  a  belt  of  country  from  five  to  ten  miles  in 
width,  adjacent  to  the  river  bluffs,  and  extending  through  its  entire  length, 
from  north  to  south,  is  underlaid  by  the  marly  sands  and  clays  of  the  Loess, 


ADAMS  COUNTY.  61 

and  possesses  a  soil  of  remarkable  fertility,  with  an  undulating  surface,  which, 
furnishes  a  free  drainage,  so  that,  with  a  rather  porus  sub-soil,  it  is  less  subject 
to  the  deleterious  influences  of  remarkably  dry  or  wet  seasons,  than  the  other 
upland  soils  of  the  county.  The  growth  of  timber  on  this  variety  of  soil 
consists  principally  of  red,  white  and  black  oak,  pig-nut  and  shell-bark  hicko- 
ry, elm,  black  and  white  walnut,  sugar  maple,  linden,  wild  cherry  and  honey 
locust.  These  lands  are  admirably  adapted  to  the  growth  of  fruit,  and  this 
portion  of  Adams  county  has  been  long  and  favorably  known,  as  one  of  the 
finest  fruit  regions  in  this  portion  of  the  State. 

On  the  breaks  of  McGee's  creek,  and  its  tributaries,  the  surface  is  consider- 
ably broken,  and  the  soil,  which  is  mainly  derived  from  the  Drift  clays,  is  a 
stiff  clay  loam,  better  adapted  to  the  growth  of  wheat  and  grass,  than  almost 
any  other  crop  usually  grown  in  this  latitude.  The  growth  of  timber  on  this 
kind  of  soil  consists  mainly  of  two  or  three  varieties  of  oak  and  hickory,  which 
is  the  characteristic  growth  of  the  "oak  ridges,"  that  are  so  frequently  met 
with  on  the  small  streams,  in  this  and  other  portions  of  the  State.  In  the 
northeastern  portion  of  the  county,  there  is  a  considerable  area  of  compara- 
tively level  prairie,  covered  with  a  deep,  black  soil,  highly  charged  with  vege- 
table matter,  derived  from  the  annual  growth  and  decay  of  the  shrubs  and 
grasses  which  clothe  its  surface.  This  black  prairie  soil  is  predicated  upon  a 
fine  silicious  brown  clay  sub-soil,  which  does  not  permit  the  surface  water  to 
pass  freely  through  it,  and  hence  these  lands  suffer  greatly  from  a  surplus  of 
water  during  a  wet  season.  They  are  very  productive,  however,  when  the 
season  is  favorable,  and  produce  abundant  crops  of  all  the  cereals  usually 
grown  in  this  latitude.  A  judicious  system  of  drainage  would  add  greatly  to 
the  productive  capacities  of  this  soil.  The  alluvial  bottom  lands  bordering  the 
Mississippi,  are  generally  similar  in  their  character  to  those  in  Pike  county, 
and  are  heavily  timbered  with  the  same  varieties  mentioned  in  describing  the 
bottom  lands  of  that  county,  in  the  preceding  chapter.  Where  these  bottom 
lands  are  elevated  above  the  annual  overflow  of  the  river,  they  are  exceedingly 
productive,  and  rank  among  the  most  valuable  farming  lands  in  the  county. 


CHAPTER     IV. 


BROWN    COUNTY. 

This  county  embraces  a  superficial  area  of  only  about  eight  and  a  half  town- 
ships, or  three  hundred  and  six  square  miles,  and  is  bounded,  on  the  north, 
by  Schuyler  county ;  on  the  east,  by  Crooked  creek  and  the  Illinois  river  ;  on 
the  south,  by  Pike ;  and  on  the  west,  by  Adams  county.  The  county  is  well 
watered  by  the  two  streams  already  mentioned  as  forming  its  eastern  boundary, 
and  by  McGee's  creek,  which  traverses  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  giving 
a  complete  surface  drainage  to  its  entire  area.  The  general  surface  level  of 
the  uplands,  ranges  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  principal  streams,  and  a  large  portion  of  it  was  originally  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber.  The  upland  prairies  are  small,  and  mostly 
confined  to  the  middle  and  western  portions  of  the  county.  The  bottom  lands 
on  the  eastern  border  of  the  county,  are  mostly  prairie,  with  belts  of  timber 
immediately  adjacent  to  the  water  courses. 

The  uplands  are  generally  rolling,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  streams,  the 
surface  is  cut  into  sharp  ridges,  separated  by  narrow  valleys.  The  best  soils 
upon  the  uplands,  are  those  underlaid  by  the  Loess,  and  are  characterized  by  a 
heavy  growth  of  the  common  varieties  of  oak  and  hickory,  elm,  sugar  maple, 
black  walnut,  linden,  wild  cherry,  honey  locust,  etc.,  and  are  restricted  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  Illinois  river  bluffs.  In  their  productive  qualities,  these  lands 
are  fully  equal  to  the  best  prairie  soils.  Further  west,  on  the  tributaries  of 
Crooked  creek  and  McGee's  creek,  the  timber  is  mainly  oak  and  hickory,  in- 
cluding two  or  three  varieties  of  each,  and  the  soil  is  generally  a  heavy  clay 
loam,  derived  mainly  from  the  brown  clays  of  the  Drift  formation.  The  prairie 
soil  is  usually  a  dark  chocolate  clay  loam,  highly  charged  with  humus,  espe- 
cially on  the  level  portions,  where  the  annual  accumulations  of  animal  and 
vegetable  matters  have  been  retained,  and  in  its  productive  qualities,  it  ranks 
next  to  the  timbered  soils  of  the  Loess.  It  rests  upon  a  subsoil  of  argillaceous 
loam,  which  is  also  rich  in  the  phosphates  and  carbonates  essential  to  the 
growth  of  vegetation,  and  will  furnish  the  essential  elements  to  replenish  the 
surface  soil,  when  it  becomes  exhausted  by  a  lona;  continued  and  injudicious 
system  of  cultivation. 


BROWN    COUNTY.  63 

The  bottom  lands  adjacent  to  the  Illinois  river,  possess  a  light  sandy  soil, 
and  when  sufficiently  elevated  to  be  susceptible  of  drainage,  and  are  protected 
from  the  annual  overflow  of  the  river  floods,  they  are  very  productive.  The 
timber  of  the  bottom  lands  consists  of  cottonwood,  soft  maple,  linden,  ash,  elm, 
black  and  white  walnut,  pecan,  hackberry,  sycamore,  swamp  white  oak,  bur  oak, 
Spanish  oak,  coffee-nut,  shell-bark  hickory,  honey  locust,  wild  plum,  crab 
apple,  dogwood,  etc.  Although  much  of  this  land  is  now  too  wet  for  cultiva. 
tion,  being  subjected  to  overflow  from  the  periodical  floods  in  the  river,  yet  its 
surface  is  constantly  rising,  from  the  accumulations  of  sediment  left  by  the 
river  floods,  and  by  the  material  constantly  being  deposited  upon  it  by  the 
wash  from  the  neighboring  highlands.  Thus,  the  hills  are  being  leveled,  and 
the  valleys  filled  up,  a  process  constantly  carried  on  now,  as  in  all  past  time, 
by  wMch,  in  the  coming  ages,  every  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  will  become 
fitted  for  man's  use,  and  be  made  subservient  to  his  interests.  Every  year 
adds  to  the  area  of  tillable  land  on  our  river  bottoms,  and  the  time  is  not  very 
distant,  when  their  entire  surface  will  be  susceptible  of  cultivation. 

Geology . 

The  geological  formationt  of  Brown  county,  comprise  the  Quaternary,  the 
lower  portion  of  the  Coal  Measures,  including  the  three  lower  coal  seams,  and 
the  two  upper  divisions  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones,  as  they  are  de- 
veloped in  this  portion  of  the  State.  The  following  section  will  show  the  rela- 
tive position  and  thickness  of  the  formations  above  named,  as  they  appear  in 
this  county : 

FEET. 

Quaternary  System,  including  Alluvium,  Loess  and  Drift 80  to  110 

Coal  Measures , 130  «  149 

St.  Louis  Limestone 30  "    40 

Keokuk  group 40  «     60 

The  Quaternary  System  includes  all  the  superficial  beds  of  soil,  sand,  clay, 
gravel,  etc.,  which  cover  up  all  the  older  formations,  except  along  the  streams 
where  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestone  has  been  laid  bare  by  the  action  of 
running  water.  It  is  the  newest,  or  last  formed  of  all  the  geological  systems, 
and  includes  among  its  fossils,  only  the  living  species  of  animals,  and  those 
closely  allied  to  them.  The  term  Alluvium,  includes  the  surface  soil  and  sub- 
soil of  the  prairies,  and  the  bottom  lands  along  the  borders  of  our  rivers  and 
smaller  streams.  Possibly,  the  former  may  correspond  nearer,  in  the  time  of 
its  formation,  with  the  Loess,  than  with  the  deposits  of  the  river  valleys,  but 
it  has  generally  been  considered  as  coincident  with  the  latter,  in  its  formation, 
and  hence  of  Alluvial  age.  The  Alluvium  of  the  Illinois  river  valley,  like 
that  of  the  Mississippi,  consists,  so  far  as  we  may  judge  from  the  exposures  in 


64  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

the  banks  of  the  river  and  the  small  streams  by  which  it  is  intersected,  of 
sands,  clays,  and  vegetable  mould,  more  or  less  perfectly  stratified,  and  fre- 
quently replacing  each  other  at  short  intervals.  It  has  been  formed,  in  part, 
from  the  transported  material  brought  down  by  the  river  current,  together  with 
the  vegetable  and  animal  substances  that  decay  upon  the  surface,  to  which  is 
added,  the  sands,  clays,  and  organic  matter,  that  is  washed  down  upon  it  from 
the  neighboring  hills. 

The  Loess  is  restricted  to  the  region  adjacent  to  the  Illinois  river  bluffs,  and 
attains  a  maximum  thickness  of  nearly  a  hundred  feet,  but  thins  out  gradually 
from  the  bluffs  towards  the  central  portions  of  the  county.  It  consists  of 
brown,  and  drab  colored  sandy,  and  marly  clays,  sometimes  partially  stratified, 
and  varying  in  color,  with  the  variable  quantities  of  the  oxyd  of  iron  it  con- 
tains. It  is  well  exposed  in  the  vicinity  of  Versailles,  and  forms  the  main  por- 
tion of  the  hills  adjacent  to  that  town,  and  is  exposed  in  the  cuts  along  the 
Quincy  and  Toledo  railroad,  westward,  nearly  to  Harshman  Station.  At  La- 
grange,  the  Loess  and  Drift  formations  overlie  the  Coal  Measures,  and  are,  by 
measurement,  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  in  thickness,  the  greater  portion  of 
which  may  be  included  in  the  Loess.  It  contains  here  a  few  of  the  land  and 
fresh  water  shells,  which  are  the  most  characteristic  fossils  of  this  group  at 
other  points,  but  they  are  less  abundant  here  than  at  Quincy,  and  many  other 
localities  in  the  State. 

The  Drift  formation  in  this  county  presents  the  same  general  characters  as 
in  the  adjacent  counties,  and  consists  of  unstratified  clay  and  gravel,  usually  of 
a  brown  or  ashen  gray  color,  containing  boulders  of  igneous  and  metamorphic 
rocks  disseminated  through  it,  but  most  abundant  in  the  lower  portion  of  the 
deposit.  As  no  rocks  similar  to  these  boulders  are  to  be  found  within  the 
limits  of  this  State,  it  is  evident  that  a  large  portion  of  the  material  composing 
this  formation,  has  been  transported  from  abroad,  and  by  comparing  specimens 
of  these  boulders  with  the  nearest  known  outcrops  of  similar  rocks  in  situ,  it 
has  been  demonstrated  that  much  of  this  material  has  been  derived  from  the 
region  lying  to  the  north  of  Lake  Superior. 

The  transportation  of  this  Drift  material  has  been  brought  about  by  the  com- 
bined agencies  of  ice  and  water,  during  a  period  of  submergence,  while  the  en- 
tire area  of  this  and  several  of  the  adjoining  States  was  beneath  the  water  level. 
Icebergs,  impelled  by  winds,  or  currents  of  water,  and  loaded  with  the  detritus 
of  distant  shores,  were,  no  doubt,  one  of  the  most  potent  agencies  in  the  accu- 
mulation of  the  Drift,  and  we  find,  as  we  trace  this  deposit  southward  from 
the  Lake  Superior  region,  that  the  boulders  diminish  in  size  and  number,  in 
that  direction,  until  they  entirely  disappear. 

When  we  consider  the  conditions  under  which  the  Drift  formation  has  been 
accumulated,  it  seems  hardly  possible  that  valuable  mineral  deposits  could  be 


BROWN    COUNTY.  65 

found  in  it,  and,  although  we  occasionally  do  find  specimens  of  native  copper, 
gold,  and  the  ores  of  lead,  iron,  etc.,  in  it,  it  is  quite  impossible,  from  the  con- 
ditions under  which  the  Drift  has  been  accumulated,  that  it  should  contain 
any  valuable  deposits  of  these  or  any  other  metals  or  metallic  ores.  Small  quan- 
tities of  native  gold  are  reported  to  have  been  found  in  the  gravel  and  drifted 
clays  of  this  and  the  adjoining  counties,  and  possibly  this  may  be  true,  but  it 
is  far  more  probable,  that  the  substance  mistaken  for  gold,  was  yellow  mica  or 
iron  pyrites,  derived  from  the  Coal  Measures  which  form  the  bed  rock  over  a 
large  portion  of  the  county.  These  substances  are  often  mistaken  for  gold  by 
those  who  have  no  acquaintance  with  mineralogy,  and  most  of  the  announce- 
ments made  through  the  public  press  in  regard  to  gold  discoveries,  have  no 
other  basis  than  the  chance  discovery,  by  some  ignorant  person,  of  one  of  the 
substances  above  named,  coupled  with  their  firmly  expressed  opinion  that  it  is 
pure  gold. 

Although  gold  is  frequently  found  in  the  gravel  beds  of  the  streams  in  the 
auriferous  regions,  it  is  always  in  close  proximity  to  the  gold-bearing  rocks, 
from  which  the  precious  metal  has  been  derived,  for  the  specific  gravity  of 
gold  is  so  great,  that  it  is  rarely  transported  for  any  considerable  distance  from 
the  outcrop  of  the  metamorphic  rocks  in  which  it  occurs.  The  search  for  gold 
in  the  Drift  deposits  of  this  State  could  scarcejy  result  otherwise  than  in  dis- 
appointment and  pecuniary  loss  to  those  who  may  engage  in  it,  and  the  geolo- 
gist, who,  for  a  temporary  notoriety,  should  encourage  such  an  enterprise,  would 
sooner  or  later  receive  his  just  reward  in  the  contempt  of  all  honest  men. 

Carboniferous    System. 

Coal  Measures. — This  term  is  usually  applied  to  a  group  of.  strata,  consisting 
of  sandstones,  shales,  slates  and  thin  beds  of  limestone,  with  the  coal  seams 
and  fire  clays,  with  which  they  are  associated.  Only  the  lower  portion  of  this 
group  is  found  in  this  county,  including  the  three  lower  coal  seams,  and  the 
strata  associated  with  them.  The  highest  beds  of  this  group  are  found  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Mount  Sterling,  where  a  hundred  feet  or  more  of  strata  may  be  found 
outcropping  on  the  small  creeks  which  run  northward  into  Crooked  creek.  A 
section  of  these  beds,  down  to  the  horizon  of  No.  2  coal,  shows  the  following 
order : 

FT.          IN. 

Nodular  gray  limestone,  partially  exposed 6  to  10 

Shale 20  "  30 

Black  shale t  4 

Purple  shale ; 0     6 

Coal,  No.  3  ? !     3 

Shale  and  fire  clay 15  «  20 

Rough  gray  limestone,  passing  into  a  ferruginous  conglomerate 4  «     6 

—9 


66  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

•  FEET. 

Sandstone  and  sandy  shale 15  to  20 

Blue  argillaceous  shales 30  "  40 

Shaly  calcareous  sandstone,  with  fossils 3  "     4 

Argillaceous,  or  bituminous  shale 8  "  10 

Coal  No.  2 H"     2£ 

Fire  clay 2  "     3 

This  lower  coal  seam  is  worked  at  several  points  northeast  of  Mount  Sterling, 
in  open  trenches,  along  its  outcrop,  in  the  valleys  of  the  small  streams.  Four 
miles  northeast  of  that  point,  it  is  worked  in  this  way  by  Mr.  Miller,  on  a 
branch  of  Curry  creek.  The  coal  is  about  two  feet  in  thickness,  and  of  good 
quality,  with  about  five  feet  of  clay  shale  in  the  roof,  above  which  there  is  a 
bed  of  black  shale,  that,  at  some  other  localities  in  this  vicinity,  rests  directly 
upon  the  coal.  Two  miles  north  of  Mount  Sterling,  a  shaft  was  sunk  by  Mr. 
Graves  to  the  depth  of  about  ninety  feet,  when  he  struck  the  coal  worked  in 
this  vicinity  at  that  depth.  The  seam  was  found  to  be  from  28  to  30  inches 
thick,  which  was  not  deemed  sufficient  to  assure  a  paying  investment  in  coal 
mining  at  this  point,  and  the  shaft  was  subsequently  abandoned.  Another 
shaft  was  sunk  near  Mound  Station,  with  a  similar  result. 

On  Little  Missouri  creek,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county,  on  section 
7,  township  1  north,  range  4  west,  coal  is  dug  at  many  points  in  the  ravines 
which  intersect  the  bluffs  of  the  main  creek.  The  coal  ranges  in  thickness 
here  from  24  to  30  inches,  and  is  overlaid  by  clay  shale,  containing  plants,  and 
otherwise  presents  the  usual  characteristics  of  No.  2  coal.  A  section  of  the 
strata  exposed  in  this  vicinity,  shows  the  following  order  of  succession  : 

FEET. 

Sandy  shales 8  to  10 

Evenly  bedded  sandstone "     8 

Black  shale "    3 

Limestone * "     4 

Clay  shale •. 25  "  30 

Coal 2  "     2£ 

The  black  shale  in  this  section  may  represent  the  horizon  of  coal  No. 
3,  and  if  so,  then  the  thin  seam  near  Mount  Sterling,  which  we  have 
marked  No.  3,  with  a  query,  is  probably  a  local  development.  This  seems  most 
probable,  as  it  presents  none  of  the  usual  features  of  either  No  3  or  4,  and  we 
have  seen  no  other  outcrop  of  coal,  either  in  this  or  the  adjoining  counties, 
that  we  can  identify  with  this.  If  it  represents  No.  3,  there  is  a  great  thicken- 
ing of  the  strata  at  this  point,  for  this  coal  is  not  usually  more  than  forty  or 
fifty  feet  above  No.  2,  whereas,  in  the  section  near  Moujjt  Sterling,  the  thick- 
ness of  the  intervening  strata  is  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  feet. 

At  the  La  Grange  bluff,  on  section  29,  township  1  south,  range  1  west,  the 
lower  part  of  the  Coal  Measures  are  well  exposed,  resting  upon  the  St.  Louis 


BROWN    COUNTY.  67 

group,  consisting  of  limestones  and  calcareous  sandstones,  which  outcrop  at  the 
base  of  the  bluff.  The  following  beds  of  the  lower  Coal  Measures  outcrop  at 
this  locality : 

FEET.    IN. 

Shale 10 

Band  of  iron  ore,  with  fossils 0       4 

Shaly  clay 3 

Limestone . .  1 

Bituminous  shale 2 

Coal 2       6 

Shaly  fire  clay 4 

Compact  nodular  limestone 4  to  6 

Shaly  clay 15 

Ferruginous  sandstone 15 

The  horizon  of  coal  No.  1,  in  the  foregoing  section,  is  between  the  ferru- 
ginous sandstone,  and  the  bed  of  clay  shale  which  overlies  it,  but  no  trace  of 
coal  was  to  be  seen  where  this  section  was  made.  A  little  further  to  the  north- 
ward, coal  is  said  to  have  been  found  near  the  base  of  the  bluff,  and  if  so,  it 
must  have  come  from  seam  No.  1.  The  upper  shale  in  the  foregoing  section, 
contains  a  calcareous  band  in  the  lower  part  of  the  bed,  which  is  filled  with 
fossil  shells,  among  which,  we  observed  Productus  muricatus,  and  Chonetcs 
mesoloba,  and  these  species  were  also  found  in  the  band  of  iron  ore  below.  The 
compact  and  nodular  limestone  below  the  coal,  contains  several  species  of  uni- 
valve shells,  belonging  to  the  genera  Naticopsis  Pleurotomaria,  and  Murchisonia. 

The  clay  shale  below  this  limestone,  affords  the  potter's  clays  so  extensively 
used  in  this  county  in  the  manufacture  of  pottery,  and  its  average  thickness  is 
fifteen  feet.  At  Ripley,  the  same  beds  are  exposed  as  at  LaGrange,  and  show 
but  little  variation  in  their  lithological  characters,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  fol- 
lowing section  at  that  point : 

FEET.  IN. 

Micaceous  sandstone , 4  to    6 

Argillaceous  shale 4 

Bituminous  shale 3 . 

Coal  No.  2 2 

Fire  clay  and  shale 6 

Nodular  bluish  gray  limestone 5 

Light  gray  clay  shale  (Potter's  clay) 15 

Bituminous  shale  (Coal  No.  1) 3 

Ferruginous  clay 0      6 

Quartzose  sandstone 20 

The  bed  of  sandstone  at  the  base  of  this  section,  represents  the  conglomerate 
which  usually  forms  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  is  quite  variable  in 
thickness,  ranging,  in  this  county,  from  five  to  twenty  feet,  though  it  is  fre- 
quently wanting  altogether.  For  three  or  four  miles  south  of  LaGrange,  this 


68  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

sandstone  outcrops  in  a  continuous  mural  bluff,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in 
bight,  and  when  the  lower  coal  (No.  1,)  is  developed  at  all,  it  will  be  found 
immediately  above  this  sandstone. 

From  the  preceding  sections,  a  general  idea  may  be  had  of  the  thickness, 
and  lithological  character  of  the  Coal  Measures,  as  they  are  developed  in  this 
county,  and  it  only  remains  now  to  speak  of  the  extent  of  surface  which  they 
underlie.  Originally,  they  covered  the  entire  area  of  the  county,  but  in  the 
subsequent  excavation  of  the  valleys  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  its  main  tributa- 
ries, the  whole  thickness  of  Coal  Measure  strata  have  been  cut  away,  down  to 
the  underlying  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones,  into  which  all  the  principal 
streams  have  cut  their  channels,  along  the  lower  portion  of  their  courses. 
Hence,  the  Coal  Measures  are  now  found  only  beneath  the  surface  of  the  high- 
lands, and  in  the  valleys  of  the  smaller  streams,  but  they  underlie  nearly  all  the 
uplands  in  the  county,  except  a  limited  area  in  township  2  south,  range  2  west, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Versailles,  where  the  hills  consist  of  Loess.  In  this  vicinity 
the  Coal  Measure  strata  have  been  removed  by  the  same  agencies  that  scooped 
out  the  main  river  valley,  and  the  bluffs  here  are  formed  by  the  Quaternary 
deposits,  that  were  subsequently  deposited  in,  and  now  partially  fill  this  ancient 
valley. 

The  principal  coal  seam  developed  in  this  county,  is  No.  2,  or  the  Colchester 
seam  of  McDonough  county,  and  it  outcrops  on  most  of  the  small  streams,  and 
may  be  reached  by  shafts  almost  anywhere  on  the  uplands,  in  the  central,  north- 
ern, or  western  portions  of  the  county,  at  a  depth  varying  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

St.  Louis  Group — This  group  forms  the  upper  division  of  the  Lower  Car- 
boniferous series  in  this  portion  of  the  State,  and  consists  of  a  hard  gray  con- 
cretionary limestone,  varying  from  five  to  ten  feet  or  more  in  thickness,  which 
constitutes  its  upper  division,  and  a  brown  magnesian  limestone,  and  calcareous 
sandstone,  with  some  intercalations  of  blue  clay  shale,  which  form  the  lower 
division  of  the  group.  Its  entire  thickness  in  this  county,  may  be  estimated 
at  about  forty  feet.  We  found  the  upper  division  well  exposed  on  the  Dry 
Fork  of  McGree's  creek,  six  miles  south  of  Mount  Sterling,  at  Tucker's  old 
mill.  The  rock  is  here  an  irregularly  bedded  gray  limestone,  a  portion  of 
which  is  stained  a  deep  rusty  brown  color,  by  the  decomposition,  or  oxydation 
of  the  crystals  of  iron  pyrites  which  it  contains,  and  it  also  contains  irregular 
seams  of  green  marly  clay.  We  obtained  a  few  fossils  from  the  beds  at  this 
locality,  among  which  were  Lithostrotion  proliferum,  Archseocidaris  Wbrtheni, 
and  Granatocrinus  cornutus.  The  last  named  species  has  not  been  found  at  any 
other  locality  in  the  State.  In  the  bluffs  of  McGee's  creek,  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  below  Jaqueth's  mill,  there  is  an  exposure  of  about  thirty  feet  of  buff 
and  brown  magnesian  limestones  and  shales,  which  belong  to  this  group,  and 


BROWN   COUNTY,  69 

at  the  mill  we  found  the  following  beds  overlying  the  blue  geodiferous  shales 
of  the  Keokuk  group : 

FEET. 

Fine  grained  greenish  sandstone 6 

Brown  shale 12  to  15 

Brown  magnesian  limestone 8  "  10 

In  the  river  bluffs,  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Versailles,  the  brown  mag- 
nesian limestone,  which  forms  the  lower  division  of  this  group,  is  exposed  in 
the  face  of  the  bluff",  and  a  quarry  has  been  opened  in  it,  showing  about  fifteen 
feet  in  thickness  of  regularly  bedded  limestone,  which  forms  an  excellent  build- 
ing stone.  This  quarry  is  about  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Illinois  bot- 
toms. 

At  LaGrange,  there  is  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  of  this  group  exposed 
at  the  base  of  the  bluff.  The  upper  portion  is  a  gray  limestone,  about 
six  feet  thick,  below  which,  there  is  about  twenty  feet,  consisting  of  alterna- 
tions of  brown  magnesian  limestone,  with  calcareous  sandstones  and  shales. 
The  magnesian  limestone  at  this  point,  is  not  as  evenly  textured  as  this  rock 
usually  appears,  and  some  of  the  layers  crumble  readily,  on  exposure  to  atmos- 
pheric influences.  This  group  is  also  exposed  on  a  small  creek,  five  miles 
west  of  LaGrange,  on  the  Mt.  Sterling  road,  the  upper  bed  consisting  of  gray 
concretionary  limestone,  while  the  lower  part  is  a  brown  magnesian  limestone, 
about  fifteen  feet  in  thickness.  The  general  outcrop  of  the  St.  Louis  group  in 
this  county,  is  along  the  valleys  of  Crooked  creek,  and  McGee's  creek,  and  on 
some  of  their  principal  tributaries,  and  also  along  the  base  of  the  Illinois  river 
bluffs,  wherever  the  stratified  rocks  are  exposed.  In  the  vicinity  of  Ripley, 
we  find  this  group  outcropping  in  the  bluffs  of  Crooked  creek,  affording,  with 
the  underlying  shales  of  the  geode  bed,  the  following  section  : 

FEET. 

Concretionary  limestone 10 

Brown  magnesian  limestone 15 

Blue  argillaceous  shales,  partly  exposed 25 

The  two  upper  beds  in  the  above  section,  belong  to  this  group,  while  the 
lower,  which  at  this  locality  was  only  partly  exposed,  belongs,  for  the  most 
part  at  least,  to  the  underlying  Keokuk  group.  The  magnesian  limestone,  and 
the  calcareous  sandstone  of  the  St.  Louis  group,  furnish  the  most  durable 
building  stone  to  be  found  in  the  county. 

Keokuk  Group. — Only  the  upper  part  of  this  group  appears  above  the  sur- 
face in  this  county,  including  the  geodiferous  shales,  and  a  few  feet  in  thick- 
ness of  thin  bedded  limestone.  These  beds  are  exposed  on  the  lower  course  of 
McGee's  creek,  and  also  on  Crooked  creek,  along  its  whole  course  in  this 
county.  At  Chambersburg,  the  thin  bedded  limestone  which  underlies  the 


70  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

geodiferous  shales,  may  be  seen  in  the  bed  of  McGee's  creek,  and  they  have 
afforded  a  few  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this  formation,  among  which, 
were  Agaricocrinus  Americanus,  Archimedes  Owcnana,  and  Spirifer  Keokuk. 
This  limestone  outcrops  along  the  bed  of  the  creek,  at  intervals,  as  far  west  as 
township  1  south,  range  5  west,  in  Adams  county,  the  easterly  dip  of  the  strata 
corresponding  very  nearly  to  the  fall  of  the  creek. 

At  Jaqueth's  mill,  about  six  miles  a  little  south  of1  west  from  Versailles,  the 
geodiferous  shales  of  this  group  are  well  exposed,  forming  the  base  of  the 
bluff,  as  shown  in  the  following  measured  section,  made  at  this  point : 

FEET. 

Fine  grained  sandstone 6 

Brown  shales 10  to  15 

Brown  magnesian  limestone 8  "  10 

Blue  shales,  with  geodes 35  "  40 

The  lower  bed  in  the  above  section  consists  of  blue  argillaceous  shales,  trav- 
ersed by  perpendicular  veins  of  satin  spar,  from  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  an 
inch  in  thickness.  The  geodes  from  this  locality  contain  beautiful  crystals 
of  brown  and  colorless  calcite,  dog-tooth  spar,  zinc  blende,  dolomite,  iron  py- 
rites, and  the  more  common  forms  of  crystallized  quartz  and  chalcedony.  They 
are  mostly  of  small  size  in  the  bluff  at  the  mill,  but  at  other  points  they  are 
larger  and  are  mostly  lined  with  quartz  crystals.  The  regularly  bedded  gray 
limestones,  which  form  the  lower  portion  of  this  group,  do  not  appear  above  the 
surface  in  this  county,  but  would  be  found  a  few  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
main  water  courses. 

Economical    Geology. 

Coal. — As  has  already  been  stated,  the  Coal  Measures  underlie  nearly  all 
the  uplands  in  this  county,  and  attain  a  maximum  thickness  of  nearly  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  including  the  horizon  of  the  three  lower  coal  seams. 
Only  one  of  these,  however,  No.  2,  or  the  Colchester  coal,  of  McDonough  county, 
appears  to  be  generally  developed  in  this  county,  and  from  this,  nearly  all  the 
coal  mined  at  the  present  time  is  obtained.  We  found  this  seam  very  uniform 
in  its  thickness,  and  apparently  extending  over  nearly  the  whole  area  underlaid 
by  the  Coal  Measures.  It  affords  a  coal  of  good  quality,  and  the  only  draw- 
back to  the  success  of  coal  mining  enterprises  in  this  county,  is  the  thickness 
of  the  strata,  which  varies  from  twenty-four  to  thirty  inches.  The  roof  is 
generally  a  clay  shale,  though,  at  some  localities,  the  lower  part  of  it  becomes 
highly  bituminous,  passing  into  a  black  shale,  which  forms  an  excellent  roof. 
This  seam  is  only  worked  in  a  very  primitive  way,  by  the  process  called  "  strip, 
ping,"  which  consists  of  throwing  off  the  overlying  material,  where  the  coal 
outcrops  in  the  valleys  of  the  small  streams,  and  then  taking  out  the  coal 


BROWN   COUNTY.  71 

where  the  seam  has  thus  been  laid  bare.  This  seam  is  as  thick  here  as  it  is  in 
the  vicinity  of  Colchester,  where  it  is  successfully  worked,  both  by  tunneling 
into  the  hillsides  along  its  outcrop,  and  by  shafts  sunk  to  the  level  of  the  coal 
on  the  highlands.  It  will  furnish  about  two  million  tons  of  coal  to  the 
square  mile,  and  probably  underlies  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  area  of  the 
county. 

Coal  seam  No.  1  is  quite  irregular  in  its  development,  and  at  most  points 
where  we  found  the  horizon  of  this  coal  exposed,  we  found  the  coal  replaced  by 
a  thin  bed  of  bituminous  shale.  Just  above  LaGrange,  we  were  told  that  a 
seam  had  been  formerly  opened  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  where  the  coal  was 
about  two  feet  thick,  and  if  so,  it  must  have  been  the  lower  seam.  We  also 
found  an  outcrop,  at  about  the  same  horizon,  on  Little  Missouri  creek,  near  the 
north  line  of  the  county,  on  section  5,  township  3  south,  range  4  west,  where 
the  coal  was  about  two  feet  thick,  which,  probably,  is  an  outcrop  of  No.  1.  It 
generally  affords  an  inferior  coal  to  that  produced  from  the  seam  above  it,  and 
for  that  reason  it  will  not  be  as  extensively  worked  as  the  other  seam,  even  when 
found  of  the  same  thickness. 

The  thin  seam  which  outcrops  a  little  northeast  of  Mount  Sterling,  may  be 
the  representative  of  No.  3,  and  if  not,  is  a  local  development  of  coal,  coming 
in  between  No.  3  and  4.  It  is  the  only  seam  met  with  in  the  county  above 
No.  2,  and  its  distance  above  that  may  be  due  entirely  to  a  local  thickening  of 
the  intervening  strata.  But,  in  the  absence  of  the  characteristic  fossils  that 
are  usually  found  in  connection  with  No.  3  coal,  it  is  difficult  to  decide  posi- 
tively whether  this  seam  should  be  considered  as  the  equivalent  of  that,  or  as 
holding  a  higher  position.  However,  as  it  is  probably  nowhere  developed  of 
sufficient  thickness  to  be  successfully  worked,  the  question  has  no  important 
practical  bearing  in  estimating  the  coal  resources  of  the  county.  No.  coal  will 
be  found  here  below  the  beds  of  the  main  water  courses,  as  we  have  already 
stated  that  these  have  been  cut  down  quite  through  the  Coal  Measures,  and  into 
the  upper  divisions  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestone  series,  which  underlie 
all  the  coal  strata  at  present  known  in  this  country. 

Potter's  Clay. — This  county  has  long  been  noted  for  the  amount  of  potter's 
ware,  annually  manufactured  within  its  limits.  The  potteries  are  mostly  loca- 
ted in  the  vicinity  of  Ripley,  though  the  bed  of  clay  shale,  which  furnishes 
the  material  from  which  the  ware  is  manufactured,  is  found  outcropping  at 
several  other  localities.  It  is  exposed  at  LaGranee,  and  attains  about  the 
same  thickness  there  as  at  Ripley,  and  lies  between  the  two  lower  coal  seams. 
The  bed  is  about  fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  but  only  the  upper  portion  of  it  is 
used  for  pottery.  Where  it  was  first  opened,  the  overlying  beds  had  been  car- 
ried away  by  Drift  agencies,  and  the  surface  of  the  clay  shale  had  been  long 
exposed  to  the  action  of  atmospheric  influences,  which  reduced  it  to  the  condi- 


72  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

tion  of  a  tough,  plastic  clay,  well  adapted  to  the  potter's  use.  The  same  effect 
may  be  produced  on  the  freshly  dug  shales,  by  throwing  the  material  into  heaps, 
and  allowing  it  to  remain  fully  exposed,  for  a  year  or  two,  to  the  action  of  the 
atmosphere.  About  a  dozen  potteries  have  been  established  in  the  vicinity  of 
Ripley,  and  this  number  may  be  increased  indefinitely  as  the  wants  of  the  com- 
munity shall  require,  as  the  supply  of  the  raw  material  is  abundant. 

Fire  Clay. — The  under-clay  of  coal  No.  2  is  often  pure  enough  for  the 
manufacture  of  fire  brick,  though  no  attempt  has  been  made,  so  far  as  I  could 
learn,  to  test  its  quality  in  this  county. 

Building  Stone. — This  county  is  not  so  well  supplied  with  good  building 
stone  as  the  counties  lying  south  and  west  of  it,  where  the  older  rocks  outcrop 
more  extensively.  'The  quartzose  sandstone,  which  forms  the  base  of  the  Coal 
Measures,  may  sometimes  be  safely  used  for  this  purpose,  and  the  massive  beds 
of  this  rock,  which  outcrop  at  the  base  of  the  bluff,  for  three  or  four  miles 
below  LaGrange,  seem  to  be  sufficiently  coherent  in  their  structure  to  make  a 
durable  building  stone.  The  brown  magnesian  limestone,  and  the  calcareous 
sandstone,  of  the  St.  Louis  group,  may  usually  be  safely  used  for  this  purpose, 
and  the  former  is  especially  adapted  to  the  construction  of  culverts  and  bridge 
abutments,  where  a  material  is  required  that  will  withstand  the  combined 
influence  of  frost  and  moisture.  The  sandstone  below  the  upper  coal  seam, 
near  Mount  Sterling,  appears  to  be  a  very  good  freestone,  and  the  jail  at  that 
place  has  been  built  of  this  rock. 

Limestone  for  Lime. — The  best  material  for  the  manufacture  of  common 
lime,  is  the  concretionary  limestone,  which  forms  the  upper  division  of  the  St. 
Louis  group.  It  is  usually  a  very  pure  carbonate  of  lime,  and  is  more  exten- 
sively used  for  this  purpose,  than  any  other  limestone  in  this  portion  of  the 
State.  Along  the  river  bluffs,  below  LaGrange,  this  rock  has  been  used  at  sev- 
eral points  for  this  purpose,  though  at  some  localities  it  contains  too  much  sili- 
cious  or  argillaceous  material  to  make  a  pure  lime.  In  the  vicinity  of  Mt. 
Sterling,  lime  has  been  made  from  the  nodular  gray  limestone,  which  lies  be- 
tween the  two  upper  coals,  and  it  is  said  to  make  a  strong  lime,  suitable  for 
mortar  and  cement,  but  darker  colored  than  that  made  from  the  concretionary 
limestone  of  the  St.  Louis  group. 

Sand  and  Clay  for  Brick. — These  materials  are  so  common  and  abundant 
in  this  portion  of  the  State,  that  it  seems  scarcely  necessary  to  mention  their 
occurrence  at  any  particular  locality,  but  as  it  is  a  primary  object  in  all  reports 
of  this  kind,  to  make  known  abroad  the  natural  resources  of  the  State,  it  seems 
hardly  proper  to  entirely  omit  the  mention  of  materials  so  nearly  universal  as 
these  in  their  distribution.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  mineral  product  of  the  State, 
if  we  except  coal,  more  important  to  our  vast  prairie  region,  than  the  materials 
for  the  manufacture  of  common  bricks,  and  there  are  but  few  branches  of 


BROWN  COUNTY.  73 

manufactures  perhaps  none  carried  on  in  this  State  in  which  so  great  an  amount 
of  labor  and  capital  is  annually  employed.  The  subsoil  clays  at  almost  any 
point  on  the  uplands  in  this  county,  may  be  used  for  brick  making,  and  where 
this  rests  upon  the  sandy  beds  of  the  Loess,  the  necessary  proportion  of  sand 
may  be  obtained  on  the  spot,  and  at  other  localities,  it  may  be  readily  found  in 
the  bed  of  some  neighboring  stream.  As  the  country  increases  in  wealth  and 
population,  the  desire  for  more  artistic  and  substantial  dwellings  will  also  in- 
crease, and  with  that,  we  shall  have  a  just  appreciation  of  the  natural  resources 
so  abundantly  placed  at  our  command,  for  this  purpose. 

Soil  and  Agriculture. — There  is,  probably,  no  portion  of  this  county,  where 
the  soil  is  so  poor  that  it  will  not  produce  annually  fair  crops  of  most  of  the 
cereals  grown  in  this  latitude,  without  the  stimulant  of  any  fertilizer,  other 
than  that  it  naturally  contains ;  but  there  are  some  soils  more  productive  than 
others,  and  therefore  more  desirable  for  the  agriculturist.  First  in  rank,  we 
should  place  the  timbered  lands  of  the  Loess,  characterized  by  a  growth  of 
sugar  maple,  elm,  wild  cherry,  linden,  etc.,  with  the  common  varieties  of  oak 
and  hickory.  Next,  the  prairie  lands,  and  lastly,  the  white  oak  lands,  which 
occupy  mainly  the  ridges  along  the  breaks  of  the  smaller  streams.  These  last, 
however,  are  very  good  fruit  lands,  and  also  produce  fair  crops  of  wheat,  oats, 
clover,  etc.  The  principal  growth  of  timber  on  these  lands,  is  black  and  white 
oak,  and  hickory."  They  have  a  thin  soil,  with  a  heavy  clay  subsoil,  which  will 
improve  under  a  liberal  application  of  stable  manure,  applied  annually,  or  by 
fallowing,  and  the  plowing  under  of  green  crops.  The  prairie  region  is  quite 
limited  in  this  county,  and  confined  to  the  northern  and  western  portions. 
The  bottom  lands  on  the  Illinois  river  are  very  productive,  and  where  they  are 
elevated  above  the  annual  overflow  of  the  river,  they  may  be  ranked  amon°-  the 
most  valuable  farming  lands  in  the  county.  The  soil  is  generally  a  sandy  loam, 
and  better  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  corn  than  the  uplands.  The  subsoil  is 
for  the  most  part,  quite  sandy,  which  gives  a  free  surface  drainage,  where  the 
land  is  sufficiently  elevated  above  the  river  level. 

Mineral  Springs. — The  Versailles  Mineral  Springs,  three  or  four  in  number 
are  situated  about  a  mile  northeast  of  the  village,  in  a  little  valley  surrounded 
by  hills,  composed  entirely  of  Loess  and  Drift.  The  valley  in  which  these 
springs  are  situated,  was  originally  a  part  of  the  ancient  valley  in  which  the 
Illinois  river  now  runs,  and  was  excavated  for  a  hundred  feet  or  more  into  the 
carboniferous  rocks  that  were  once  continuous  across  the  area  now  occupied  by 
this  valley,  and  are  now  found  underlying  the  Quaternary  deposits  in  the  ad- 
jacent region.  The  springs,  probably,  originate  in  the  Loess,  or  some  other 
Post  Tertiary  beds,  which  now  form  the  surrounding  hills,  and  derive  the  small 
per  cent,  of  mineral  ingredients  which  the  water  contains,  from  these  recent 
formations. 

—10 


74  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  following  analysis  of  the  waters,  from  three  of  these  springs,  were  made 
in  Chicago,  the  two  first,  by  Dr.  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney,  and  the  last,  by  Mr.  Geo.  A. 
Mariner,  and  gave  the  following  results,  as  the  total  number  of  grains  of  solid 
mineral  matter  in  an  imperial  gallon  of  water  : 

NUMBER  1. 

Sulphate  of  Lime 2.0852 

Chloride  of  sodium,  a  trace. 

Alumina,  and  a  trace  of  iron 7268 

Bi-carbonate  of  Lime 17.4315 

"  Magnesia 12.5-750 

"  Soda 10.9895 

"  Potash,  a  trace. 

Organic  matter,  a  trace. 

Silica.  ,  .8177 


Total  solid  matter  in  imperial  gallon  . . , 44.6257 

NUMBER  2. 

Bi-carbonate  of  Iron,  and  trace  of  Alumina 2.1352 

"  Lime 23.2238 

"  Magnesia 11.7799 

"  Soda 10.9895 

"  Potash,  a  trace. 

Silica 1.7036 

Chloride  of  sodium,  a  trace. 

Organic  matter,  a  trace. 


Total  solid  matter  in  one  imperial  gallon 49.8320 

NUMBER    3. 

Carbonate  of  Lime 14.600 

"  Magnesia 8.950 

"  Iron 060 

"  Soda  and  potassa 1.320 

Chloride  of  sodium   003 

Sulphate  of  lime,  a  trace. 

Silica 1.400 

Free  carbonic  acid. .  .    11.683 


Total  grains  in  one  gallon 38.016 


CHAPTER    V. 

SCHUYLER   COUNTY. 

This  county  embraces  a  superficial  area  of  a  little  over  eleven  townships,  or 
about  four  hundred  and  fourteen  square  miles,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  McDonough  and  Fulton  counties,  on  the  east  by  Fulton  county  and  the 
Illinois  river,  on  the  south  by  Brown  county,  and  on  the  west  by  the  counties 
of  Adams  and  Hancock.  Its  surface  is  considerably  diversified  with  hills  and 
valleys,  prairies  and  heavily  timbered  woodlands,  the  proportion  of  prairie  and 
timber  lands  being  about  one  of  the  former  to  three  of  the  latter.  Along  the 
bluffs  of  Crooked  creek,  and  the  Illinois  river,  the  surface  is  quite  broken  and 
hilly,  but  even  these  broken  lands  possess  a  rich  and  productive  soil,  and  are 
valuable  for  agricultural  purposes,  wherever  they  are  sufficiently  level  for  cul- 
tivation. The  prairies  are  mostly  small,  and  are  restricted  to  the  northern 
and  western  portions  of  the  county.  The  county  is  well  watered,  mainly  by 
Crooked  creek,  and  its  affluents,  which  traverse  its  southern  and  western  por- 
tion, and  by  Sugar  creek  and  the  Illinois  river,  the''  former  intersecting  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  county,  and  the  latter  forming,  in  part,  its  eastern 
boundary.  Crooked  creek  furnishes  considerable  water  power,  and,  in  the 
early  settlement  of  the  country,  the  inhabitants  of  this,  and  several  of  the  ad- 
joining counties,  were  dependent  upon  the  water  mills  upon  this  stream  for 
nearly  all  their  milling  facilities.  More  recently,  however,  steam  power  has, 
to  a  great  extent,  superseded  the  old  water  mill,  and  most  of  the  mills  on  this 
stream  now  have  a  steam  engine  attached,  to  enable  them  to  run  throughout 
the  year. 

On  the  ridges  adjacent  to  the  small  streams,  the  timber  is  mostly  black  oak 
and  hickory,  but  on  the  more  level  portions  of  the  timbered  region,  as  well  as  on 
the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  river,  we  find,  in  addition  to  these,  elm,  linden,  sugar- 
maple,  wild-cherry,  and  honey-locust,  an  arboreal  growth  which  indicates  a  soil 
of  the  best  quality,  fully  equal  to  the  best  prairie  soils.  Much  of  the  upland, 
where  this  growth  of  timber  prevails,  is  underlaid  by  the  marly  sands  and 
clays  of  the  Loess,  and  rank  among  the  very  best  lands  in  the  State.  Fine 
blue  grass  pastures  are  easily  made  upon  these  lands,  and  the  soil  is  well 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  fruit,  especially  the  grape. 


76  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

On  the  eastern  border  of  the  county,  there  is  a  belt  of  alluvial  bottoms 
skirting  the  Illinois  river,  from  a  half  mile  to  about  four  miles  in  width.  Some 
portions  of  this  bottom  land  is  above  the  high-water  level  of  the  river,  and 
these  lands  are  very  productive,  while  other  portions  are  subject  to  annual  over- 
flow from  the  river  floods,  and  are  of  little  value  at  the  present  time  for  agri- 
cultural purposes.  A  considerable  portion  of  this  is  bottom  prairie,  but  there 
is  usually  a  belt  of  heavy  timber  skirting  the  river,  and  also  the  small  streams 
by  which  the  bottoms  are  intersected.  The  timber  on  these  low  lands  comprise 
cotton-wood,  sycamore,  soft-maple,  ash,  elm,  hickory,  pecan,  Spanish  oak, 
swamp  white  oak,  pin  oak,  black  walnut,  hackberry,  buckeye,  honey-locust, 
paw-paw,  horn-beam,  willow,  etc.  There  are  also  narrow  belts  of  bottom  land 
on  some  of  the  larger  creeks  in  this  county,  as  on  Crooked  creek  and  Sugar 
creek,  but  these  seldom  exceed  a  half  mile  in  width,  and  are  covered  with  a 
heavy  growth  of  timber,  embracing  most  of  the  varieties  mentioned  as  occur- 
ring in  the  Illinois  river  bottoms,  with  the  addition  of  white  walnut,  sugar- 
maple,  linden,  white  oak,  etc. 

The  general  surface  level  of  the  uplands  in  this  county,  ranges  from  two  to 
three  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  the  river  bluffs 
often  rise  abruptly  to  the  height  of  two  hundred  feet  or  more  above  the  bot- 
toms, but  exhibit  none  of  the  bold  limestone  escarpments,  so  conspicuous  on 
the  lower  course  of  the  river,  where  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones  are 
the  prevailing  formations. 

G eo logy. 

The  geological  structure  of  this  county,  like  that  of  Brown,  includes  the 
Quaternary  system,  the  lower  portion  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  the  upper 
divisions  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones,  but  differs  from  that  in  an 
additional  thickness  of  the  Coal  Measures  sufficient  to  bring  in  another  coal 
seam,  No.  4,  which  is  not  found  in  any  county  south  of  this,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Illinois  river.  The  following  section  exhibits  the  formations  to  be  found 
in  this  county,  in  their  relative  order  of  superposition  and  thickness: 

FEET. 

Quaternary,  comprising  Alluvium,  Loess  and  Drift 100 

Coal  Measures 200  to  250 

St.  Louis  group 30  "     40 

Keokukgroup 60  "     70 

The  three  lower  groups  belong  properly  to  what  are  called  stratified  rocks, 
that  is,  to  those  that  have  been  formed  in  regular  strata  or  layers,  and  also  to 
that  division  of  geological  time  termed  paleozoic,  because  the  embedded  fossils 
represent  only  ancient  forms  of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  while  the  upper  di- 
vision belongs  to  the  most  recent  geological  age,  and  the  fossils  which  it  con- 


SCIIUYLER    COUNTY.  77 

tains  are  the  remains  of  species  of  animals  now  living,  or  but  recently  become 
extinct.  Hence  this  formation  is  unconformable  with  those  below  it,  and  may 
be  found  immediately  overlying  either  of  them,  even  the  lowest,  if  the  others 
are  absent.  If  the  geological  series  was  complete,  we  should  have  above  the 
Coal  Measures,  and  intervening  between  that  formation  and  the  Quaterna- 
ry, the  whole  of  the  Secondary  and  Tertiary  series,  embracing  many  thou- 
sand feet  in  thickness  of  strata,  and  representing,  in  their  fossil  contents,  all  the 
missing  links  in  the  great  chain  of  organic  life,  which  connect  the  paleozoic 
age  with  the  present.  But  as  the  Quaternary  is  the  most  recent  of  all  the 
geological  systems,  it  may  be  found  resting  directly  upon  any  of  the  above  de- 
posits, from  the  Tertiary  to  the  most  ancient  stratified  or  igneous  rocks  that  out- 
crop on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  This  system  includes  the  alluvial  deposits  of 
our  river  valleys,  usually  termed  Alluvium;  the  Loess,  a  deposit  of  buff-colored 
marly  sands  and  clays,  most  conspicuous  in  the  vicinity  of  the  river  bluffs,  and 
the  Drift,  which  usually  consists  of  brown  or  bluish  gray,  gravelly  clays,  with 
water-worn  boulders  of  various  sizes,  from  an  inch  to  several  feet  in  diameter. 
There  is  probably  no  locality  in  the  county  where  these  deposits  exceed  a  hun- 
dred feet  in  thickness,  and  they  attain  their  greatest  development  in  the  vicini- 
ty of  the  river  bluffs,  where  the  Loess  attains  its  greatest  thickness,  and  rests 
upon  the  Drift  clays.  In  the  interior  of  the  county,  the  Loess  is  generally 
wanting,  and  the  drift  deposits  generally  range  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  in, 
thickness,  and  consist  of  unstratified  clays,  with  sand  and  gravel,  enclosing 
water-worn  boulders  of  granite,  sienite,  gneiss,  porphyry,  horn-blende  and 
quartzite,  and  also  the  rounded  fragments  of  the  limestones  and  sandstones  of 
the  adjacent  region.  Fragments  of  copper,  lead  ore,  coal,  iron  and  other  min- 
erals are  often  found  in  the  Drift,  or  in  the  gravel  beds' in  the  valleys  of  the 
small  streams,  but  their  occurrence  in  this  position  is  no  indication  of  the  prox- 
imity of  any  valuable  deposit  of  these  minerals,  and  the  fragments  which  are 
found  in  this  position  are  far  removed  from  the  beds  from  which  they  originally 
came  Small  quantities  of  gold  are  reported  to  have  been  found  in  the  washed 
gravel  of  this  formation,  but  nowhere  yet  in  sufficient,  quantity  to  pay  the 
ordinary  price  of  the  labor  necessary  to  secure  it,  and  it  is  quite  certain  that,  in 
many  cases,  the  material  mistaken  for  gold,  is  either  pyrites  of  iron  or  yellow 
mica";  the  former,  derived  from  the  Coal  Measures  or  other  stratified  rocks  of 
the  adjacent  region,  and  the  latter  from  the  decomposed  boulders  of  sienite  or 
gneiss,  transported  from  the  northern  shores  of  the  great  lakes. 

Carboniferous    System. 

Coal  Measures. — This  term  is  applied  to  the  upper  division  of  the  Carbon- 
iferous System,  and  it  embraces  all  the  coal  seams  and  the  associated  strata, 


78 


GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 


and  when  fully  developed,  attains  a  thickness  of  eight  hundred  or  a  thousand 
feet  in  this  State.  Only  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  the  lower  portion 
of  the  Coal  Measures  are  found  in  this  county,  which  may  be  illustrated  by  the 
following  section,  showing  the  general  arrangement  and  comparative  thickness 
of  the  strata  : 


10  to  15  feet. 


3  to  6  feet 


2  to  4  feet. 


8  to  10  feet. 


60  to  80  feet. 


2  to  6  feet. 


4  to  8  feet. 


12  to  15  feet. 


4  to  6  feet. 


15  to  30  feet. 


30  to  40  feet. 


1  to  3  feet. 


15  to  25  feet. 


Brown  sandy  shale. 

Compact  gray  limestone. 

Bituminous  shale,  with  concretions  of  limestone. 

Coal  seam  No.  4. 
Fire  clay  and  septaria. 


Sandstone  and  shale. 

Bluish  gray  arenaceous  limestone. 
Bituminous  and  argillaceous  shales. 
Coal  seam  No.  3. 

Sandy  and  argillaceous  shales. 
Gray  limestone. 

Sandy  and  argillaceous  shales. 
Coal  seam  No.  2. 

Sandstone  and  shale. 

Coal  seam  No.  1. 
Fire  clay. 

Sandy  shale  and  conglomerate  sandstone. 


SCHUTLER   COUNTY.  79 

The  beds  comprising  the  upper  part  of  the  foregoing  section,  are  found  well 
exposed  in  the  vicinity  of  Rushville,  and  also  on  a  small  branch,  which  heads 
near  Pleasant  View,  and  runs  eastwardly  into  Sugar  creek.  They  enclose  coal 
seam  No.  4,  one  of  the  most  persistent  and  valuable  in  the  Illinois  Coal  Field, 
which  outcrops  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  View,  and  from  thence  trends  north- 
westwardly to  Rushville,  underlying  an  elevated  plateau  around  and  between  these 
points,  that  forms  the  water  shed  between  the  tributaries  of  Crooked  creek  and 
Sugar  creek.  The  seam  ranges  in  thickness  from  four  to  six  feet,  and  in  this 
county  averages  about  five  feet.  The  roof  is  generally  a  bituminous  shale,  which 
often  contains  large  nodules  of  dark  blue  or  black  limestone,  filled  with  marine 
shells,  among  which  are  Productus  muricatus,  Clinopistha  radiata,  Pleuropho- 
rus  soleniformis,  P.  radiatus,  Cardiomorpha  Missouriensis,  Distinct  nitida, 
Schizodus  curtus,  etc.  Above  the  black  shale,  there  is  usually  a  bed  of  bluish 
gray  limestone,  containing  joints  of  crinoidea,  and  a  few  small  brachiopods, 
among  which  the  Spirifer  lineatus,  and  a  small  variety  of  Atkyris  subtilita,  are 
the  most  common.  The  shale  and  limestone  forms  an  admirable  roof  to  the 
coal  seam,  so  that  it  can  be  worked  with  perfect  safety,  and  in  the  most  eco- 
nomical manner.  Below  the  coal,  there  is  usually,  first,  a  thin  bed  of  shaly 
clay,  and  then  a  bed  of  septaria,  from  two  to  four  feet  thick.  Messrs.  M.  Far- 
well  &  Co.,  have  been  mining  this  coal  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  View,  for 
many  years,  for  the  supply  of  steamboats  at  Frederick  four  miles  distant,  on 
the  Illinois  river.  It  was  first  worked  by  tunneling  into  the  hill  where  the 
coal  outcrops,  on  the  breaks  of  a  small  stream  running  into  Sugar  creek,  but  is 
now  worked  mainly  by  shafts  sunk  from  the  general  surface  level  down  to  the 
coal.  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  Watson  Webb,  assistant  engineer  on  the  Rock 
Island  and  St.  Louis  railroad,  for  the  following  elevations  : 

FEET. 

Eight  of  the  coal  seam  at  Pleasant  View,  above  the  high  water  level  of  1844 190 

Above  the  river  bank,  opposite  Beardstown 202 

This  seam  has  so  great  an  elevation,  that  it  will  probably  be  found  under- 
lying only  the  highest  lands  forming  the  water  shed  already  mentioned,  and 
consequently,  extending  over  only  a  limited  area  in  the  southern  part  of  town- 
ship 2  north,  range  1  west,  and  the  eastern  portion  of  2  north,  2  west. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Rushville,  this  seam  has  been  worked  for  many  years,  and 
on  my  first  visit  to  the  county  in  1854,  I  found  it  opened  about  a  mile  north- 
east of  the  town,  where  the  seam  outcrops  in  a  small  ravine,  on  the  land  of 
Mr.  Rose.  Subsequently,  this  coal  has  been  worked  at  various  points  in  this 
vicinity,  and  during  the  past  year,  a  shaft  has  been  sunk  about  a  mile  northeast 
of  Rushville,  and  the  coal  was  found  at  the  depth  of  twenty-five  feet.  The 
coal  presents  the  same  general  character  here  as  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant 
View,  and  the  business  of  coal  mining  has  been  greatly  extended,  since  the 


80  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

completion  of  the  Rock  Island  and  St.  Louis  railroad  to  this  point.  The  seam 
has  a  good  slate  and  limestone  roof,  and  is  underlaid  by  clay  shale  and  septaria, 
below  which  there  is  a  thick  bed  of  argillaceous  and  sandy  shales,  passing  into 
sandstone.  Following  down  the  creek,  which  runs  northwardly  from  this  point 
into  Crooked  creek,  the  strata  are  found  well  exposed  down  to  the  horizon  of 
coal  No.  3,  which  lies  nearly,  or  quite,  a  hundred  feet  below.  At  this  point, 
the  beds  between  these  coals  are  more  argillaceous  than  we  found  them  north 
of  Rushville,  or  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleasant  View,  and  showed  the  following 
succession  of  strata,  downward  from  coal  No.  4 : 

FEET. 

Fire  clay  and  shale,  with  septaria 8  to  10 

Clay  shale 25  "  30 

Sandy  shales , .  30  "40 

Thin  bedded  concretionary  sandstone ; .  8  "  10 

Bluish  gray  calcareous  sandstone 2  "     3 

Clay  shale 2  "     3 

Black  shale 3  "    4 

Coal  No.  3 2  "     3 

The  lower  coal  at  this  locality,  is  reported  to  be  2£  feet  in  thickness,  but 
the  opening  had  been  filled  up,  so  that  we  could  not  obtain  an  accurate  meas- 
urement of  it  at  this  point.  The  calcareous  sandstone  over  this  coal,  contains 
joints  of  crinoidea,  and  the  overlying  concretionary  sandstone  contains  frag- 
ments of  plants,  among  which  were  many  broad,  ribbon-like  leaves  of  Cordaites. 
Near  Oakland  Station,  on  Sugar  creek,  ten  miles  northeast  of  Rushville,  No. 
3  is  found  outcropping  at  several  points  at  the  base  of  the  hills.  It  averages 
here  about  three  feet  in  thickness,  with  a  roof  of  shale  and  sandstone.  The 
limestone  which  often  intervenes  between  this  seam  and  No.  2,  was  seen  out- 
cropping below  the  coal  exposed  here,  but  the  underlying  coal  being  below  the 
creek  valley,  was  not  seen. 

Northeast  of  Pleasant  View,  a  good  exposure  of  all  the  beds,  down  to  the 
horizon  of  No.  2  coal,  may  be  seen  on  the  small  stream  running  northwardly 
into  Sugar  creek,  and  the  following  is  the  order  of  succession  here,  below  coal 
No  4: 

FEET. 

Coal  No.  4 4  to     5 

Clay  shale  and  septaria 8  "  10 

Sandstone  and  shale 116 

Hard  bluish  gray  limestone 8  "  10 

Black  shale,  with  concretions  of  dark  blue  limestone 4  "     6 

Blue  shale,  with  streaks  of  coal  (No.  3) 2  "     3 

Sandy  and  argillaceous  shales 56 

Coal            ~]  2 

Clay  shale    I  No.  2  coal.  3 

Coal             J  2  "     3 

Fire  clay  and  clay  shale 20  "  25 


SCHUYLER  COUNTY,  81 

By  the  foregoing  section  it  will  be  seen  that  the  strata  intervening  between 
coals  3  and  4  are  mainly  sandstones  and  sandy  shales,  and  the  same  is  true  at 
some  other  localities,  and  a  portion  of  this  sandstone  is  a  very  good  freestone, 
and  has  been  used  for  the  construction  of  the  jail  in  Rushville,  and  for  foun- 
dation walls  in  the  town  and  in  the  adjacent  region.  This  sandstone  is  well 
exposed  on  the  breaks  of  the  streams  north  of  Rushville,  and  affords  nearly  all 
the  building  stone  used  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Coal  No.  3  is  not  so  regu- 
lar in  its  development  as  either  No.  4  above  it,  or  No.  2  below,  and  is  frequently 
replaced  by  bituminous  shales.  It  is  worked,  however,  at  several  localities  in 
this  county,  where  it  ranges  from  two  to  four  feet  in  thickness.  On  Coal  creek; 
about  a  mile  and  a-half  southwest  of  Frederick,  tunnels  have  been  opened  in  this 
seam  along  its  line  of  outcrop,  where  the  coal  ranges  from  two  to  three  feet  in 
thickness,  but  is  hardly  equal  in  quality  to  that  from  the  seam  above.  A  sec- 
tion on  this  creek,  shows  all  the  beds  at  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures,  from 
the  horizon  of  No.  3  coal,  down  to  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones,  as 
follows: 

FEET. 

Soft  yellow  limestone 2 

Bituminous  shale 2 

Coal,  No.  3. 2  to      3 

Shale  12  "  15 

Hard  bluish  gray  limestone , 4  "     6 

Clay  shale 1 5  "  1 8 

Coal  No.  2 1  £ 

Blue  and  green  sandy  shales 20  "  25 

Hard  calcareous  sandstone 10  "  12 

Ferruginous  shales 6 

Calcareous  shale  with  fossils 3 

Blue  and  gray  shale  10  "  12 

Shaly  sandstone 3  "     4 

At  this  point  coal  No.  2  is  too  thin  to  be  worked,  and  No.  1  is  wanting  alto- 
gether, its  place  bein?  below  the  three  foot  bed  of  calcareous  shale,  which 
contains  several  of  the  same  species  of  fossils  found  in  connection  with  coal 
No.  1,  in  Fulton  county.  At  Spillar's  mine,  a  mile  and  a-half  above  Frederick, 
No.  3  ranges  from  30  to  3ti  inches  in  thickness,  and  the  coal  appears  to  be 
decidedly  better  in  quality  than  that  obtained  from  the  same  seam  on  Coal 
creek.  A  half  mile  below  Spillar's,  the  gray  limestone  of  the  St.  Louis  group 
is  seen  just  above  the  road  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  and  has  been  quarried  to 
supply  a  lime  kiln  at  this  point.  The  conglomerate  sandstone  is  not  repre- 
sented here,  but  the  ferruginous  shale  usually  found  above  No.  1  coal,  is  found 
here  resting  directly  upon  the  limestone. 

A  half  mile  above  Frederick,  all  the  beds,  from  coal  No.  3  down  to  the  base 
of  the  Coal  Measures,  are  exposed  in  the  face  of  the  bluff,  but  neither  of  the 
—11 


82  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

coals  are  thick  enough  at  this  point  to  be  worked.     The  following  section  was 
made  here,  commencing  at  the  top  of  the  bluff: 

FEET.       IN. 

Sandstone 10 

Buff-colored,  thin  bedded  limestone , 4  to    6 

Shale 12 

Bituminous  shale,  (Coal  No.'  3,) 2  "     3 

Shale 42 

Thin  coal,  No.  2 0       6 

Fire  clay  and  shale 20 

Thin  coal,  No.  1   0       6 

Fire  clay,  shale  and  iron  ore ; 6 

Sandstone 6 

This  is  the  only  locality  that  we  met  with  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  this 
county,  where  one  or  more  of  these  coal  seams  was  not  developed  of  sufficient 
thickness  to  be  worked,  but  there  may  be  other  points  also,  where  the  coal  is 
either  absent  altogether,  or  replaced  with  bituminous  shale. 

At  the  place  formerly  owned  by  Mr.  James  A.  Chadsey,  on  section  32, 
township  2  north,  range  1  east,  there  are  two  bands  of  iron  ore  in  the  shale 
below  coal  No.  2,  that  will  afford  a  very  good  ore  for  the  manufacture  of  metallic 
iron.  These  bands  of  iron  ore  occur  just  above  the  horizon  of  No.  1  coal, 
which  is  not  developed  here,  and  they  are  respectively  12  and  6  inches  in 
thickness,  separated  by  about  two  feet  of  shale.  The  section  at  this  locality 
is  as  follows : 

FT.         IN. 

Massive  sandstone 30  to  40 

Silicious  limestone   ., 3  "     4 

Bituminous  shale,  (Coal  No.  3,) 3  "     5 

Shale 27 

Hard  gray  limestone 6 

Shale 14 

Brash  coal,  )  1 

Shale,           V  Coal  No.  2.  2 

Coal,             }  2 

Shale  and  sandstone , 12 

Iron  ore 1 

Shale 2 

Iron  ore .          0       6 

Shale,  with  thin  bands  of  iron  ore , 6 

Sandstone  and  streaks  of  coal,  (No.  1,)    18 

Hard  gray  limestone,  of  the  St.  Louis  group 10 

A  little  west  of  Chadsey's  place,  coal  No.  2  has  been  worked  by  Mr.  John 
Rebman,  where  the  seam  is  three  feet  thick,  according  to  the  report  of  those 
living  near,  but  the  roof  had  fallen  in  so  that  it  could  not  be  measured  when 
we  were  at  the  locality.  It  is  probable  that  the  parting  of  shale,  which 
separates  this  coal  in  the  foregoing  section,  has  thinned  out  here  so  that  the 


SCHUYLER    COUNTY.  83 

two  divisions  form  but  one  seam.  On  the  same  branch,  a  little  higher  up,  the 
bituminous  shale  of  coal  No.  3  is  about  three  feet  thick,  underlaid  by  a  few 
inches  of  impure  coal.  The  shale  contains  large  concretions  of  dark  blue  arena- 
ceous limestone,  containing  fossil  shells,  among  which  were  Aviculopecten 
rectalaterarea,  Cardiomorpha  Missouriensis,  two  or  three  species  of  small  Gonia- 
tites,  Productus  Prattenanus  and  Chonetes  mesoloba.  The  hard  gray  limestone 
which  intervenes  between  these  coal  seams,  at  Chadsey's  place,  and  at  many 
other  points  in  this  county,  was  wanting  here.  It  is  usually  from  four  to  six 
feet  thick,  and  more  or  less  concretionary  in  structure,  and  resembles,  in  its 
lithological  characters,  the  concretionary  member  of  the  St.  Louis  group,  but 
may  always  be  distinguished  by  its  fossils,  which  consist  of  two  or  three  species 
of  Naticopsis,  Spirifer  lineatus,  Pleurotimaria  sphserulata  and  Athyris  subtilita. 
The  lower  division  of  the  Coal  Measures,  embracing  the  horizon  of  the 
three  lower  coal  seams,  underlies  nearly  all  the  highlands  in  the  central  and 
eastern  portions  of  this  county,  and  are  found  outcropping  on  all  the  principal 
streams  and  their  tributaries.  In  the  western  part  of  the  county,  on  Crooked 
creek,  and  the  region  lying  west  of  that  stream,  the  beds  rise  so  that  the  Lower 
Carboniferous  limestone,  and  the  conglomerate  sandstone,  form  the  principal 
outcrops  in  the  bluffs  of  the  creek,  while  only  a  few  feet  in  thickness  of  the 
lower  portion  of  the  Coal  Measures,  sometimes  including  coal  No.  2,  are  found 
underlying  the  adjacent  highlands.  It  is  not  probable  that  any  coal,  except 
No.  2,  will  be  found  west  of  Crooked  creek,  of  sufficient  thickness  to  be  of 
any  economical  importance. 

The  upper  seam  developed  in  this  county,  or  No.  4  of  the  general  section,  is 
found  in  the  vicinity  of  Rushville  and  Pleasant  View,  and  is  by  far  the  most 
valuable  coal  in  the  county,  and  will  furnish  an  abundant  supply  of  coal,  suffi- 
cient to  answer  all  the  demands  of  the  region  adjacent  to  its  outcrop,  for  many 
years.  Its  position  in  the  series,  is  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet 
above  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  consequently,  it  is  only  found  under- 
lying the  most  elevated  portion  of  the  county,  comprising  a  belt  of  country  from 
two  to  four  miles  in  width,  extending  northwesterly  from  Pleasant  View  to  a 
point  a  few  miles  northwest  of  Rushville,  where  the  surface  level  gradually 
slopes  away  towards  Crooked  creek,  and  soon  sinks  below  the  level  of  this  coal. 
No  deep  mining  will  be  necessary  to  reach  this  seam,  for  if  found  at  all,  it  will 
be  at  a  depth  varying  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet,  or  less,  below  the  surface, 
and  it  is  found  outcropping  on  the  head-waters  of  several  of  the  small  streams, 
that  serve  to  drain  the  elevated  region  which  it  underlies.  The  seams  below 
this  are  generally  too  thin  to  be  worked  at  the  present  time,  except  along  their 
outcrop,  where  tunnels  can  be  driven  into  them,  and  the  coal  taken  out  without 
the  expense  of  sinking  a  shaft  down  to  the  coal,  through  the  overlying  strata. 


84  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

Nos.  2  and  3  vary  in  thickness  from  two  to  three  feet,  while  No.  1  was  not  met 
with  in  the  county  sufficiently  developed  to  be  of  any  economical  value. 

St.  Louis  Group. — The  outcrop  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones  in 
this  county,  is  restricted  to  the  valleys  of  the  principal  streams,  and -to  the  Illi- 
nois river  bluffs,  between  the  mouth  of  Sugar  creek  and  the  south  line  of  the 
county.  The  St.  Louis  group,  which  comprises  the  upper  division  of  the  series, 
consists  of  a  gray  concretionary  limestone  of  variable  thickness,  ranging  from  five 
to  twenty  feet,  forming  the  upper  member  of  the  group,  below  which  we  find  a 
brown  magnesian  limestone,  sometimes  quite  massive,  and  in  regular  beds,  and 
at  other  localities,  intercalated  with  shales,  or  passing  into  a  thin  bedded  or 
shaly  limestone. 

The  concretionary  limestone  is  not  very  regular  in  its  development,  but  often 
occurs  in  isolated  patches  or  outliers,  and  is  a  rough  gray  limestone,  presenting 
no  regular  lines  of  bedding,  but  usually  concretionary  or  brecciated  in  its  struc- 
ture. It  outcrops  at  intervals,  along  the  bluffs  of  Crooked  creek,  through  its 
whole  course  in  this  county,  and  also  along  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  river,  as 
far  north  as  the  vicinity  of  Browning,  where  it  disappears.  It  was  also  found 
on  Sugar  creek,  as  far  up  as  McKee's  mill,  on  section  17,  township  2  north, 
range  1  east.  The  only  fossils  that  were  obtained  from  this  limestone,  was  the 
Lithostrotion  canadense,  a  silicious  coral  that  abounds  in  it  almost  everywhere, 
and  is  found  weathered  out  in  the  beds  of  the  streams,  in  masses,  often  of  con. 
siderable  size,  which,  from  the  polygonal  form  of  the  single  corallites  that  go 
to  form  the  mass,  are  often  called  petrified  honey  comb.  In  the  vicinity  of  Bir- 
mingham, we  found  this  limestone  eighteen  feet  thick,  and  overlaid  by  the 
conglomerate  sandstone  of  the  Coal  Measures.  It  is  underlaid  by  a  bed  of  cal- 
careous sandstone,  and  also  a  magnesian  limestone  about  ten  feet  thick,  which 
forms  the  base  of  the  St.  Louis  group  at  this  locality. 

The  magnesian  limestone  is  far  more  regular  in  its  development  than  the 
concretionary  limestone,  and  is  usually  of  a  rusty  brown  color  on  the  surface, 
from  the  oxydation  of  the  iron  which  it  contains.  It  contains  a  few  species  of 
fossils,  among  which  are  Productus  Altonensis,  Archimedes  Wortheni,  Spirifer 
Keokuk,  Rhynchonella  mutata,  and  a  large  Conularia,  perhaps  C.  Missouriensis 
of  Swallow.  This  limestone  occurs  at  the  base  of  the  bluff  at  Frederick,  and 
also  in  the  vicinity  of  Schuyler  City,  which  is  the  most  northerly  point  where 
we  found  it  exposed  in  the  river  bluffs. 

Keokuk  Group. — Only  the  upper  portion  of  this  group  is  exposed  in  this 
county,  and  its  greatest  development  appears  to  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Birmingham, 
in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county.  The  greatest  thickness  exposed  here  is 
about  fifty  feet,  of  which  the  lower  fifteen  feet  is  a  thin  bedded  limestone,  con- 
taining many  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this  group,  above  which  there  is 
about  thirty-five  feet  of  calcareo-argillaceous  shales,  containing  geodes  of  quartz 


SCHUYLER    COUNTY.  85 

and  chalcedony.  The  easterly  dip  of  the  strata  is  considerably  more  than  the 
fall  of  the  creek  in  that  direction,  and  these  beds  dip  below  the  bed  of  the 
creek,  before  it  strikes  the  north  line  of  Brown  county.  The  thin  bedded 
limestones  which  occur  at  the  base  of  the  section  near  Birmingham,  contain 
many  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this  group,  among  which  are  Archimedes 
Owe.nana,  Productus  punctatus,  Agaricocrinus  Americanus,  Platycrinus  Saffordi, 
Spirifer  Keokuk,  and  S.  neglectus.  The  g'eodiferous  shales  above,  contain  the 
common  geodes,  lined  with  quartz  crystals  and  mammillary  calcedony,  and  more 
rarely,  crystals  of  dolomite,  calc  spar,  and  zinc  blende.  The  limestones  locally 
intercalated  in  the  shale,  contains  the  same  species  of  fossils  that  are  found  in 
the  limestones  below. 

Economical     Geology. 

Coal. — The  most  important  and  valuable  mineral  resource  of  this  county 
consists  of  the  deposits  of  bituminous  coal,  which  underlie  the  greater  portion 
of  its  surface,  and  especially  that  portion  of  the  county  lying  west  of  Crooked 
creek.  Until  quite  recently,  the  coal  of  this  county  has  had  no  outlet  to 
market,  except  as  it  was  required  for  home  consumption,  but  since  the  comple- 
tion of  the  railroad  to  Rushville,  and  its  probable  extension,  at  an  early  day, 
into  and  through  a  region  further  south,  which  is  but  poorly  supplied  with 
coal,  a  ready  market  will  be  found  for  all  the  coal  of  this  county.  The  upper 
seam  is  the  most  valuable,  and,  from  its  greater  thickness  and  excellent  roof, 
can  be  mined  more  economically  than  either  of  the  lower  seams.  Its  average 
thickness  is  nearly  five  feet,  and  its  product  about  five  million  of  tons  to  the 
square  mile.  It  affords  a  hard,  bright  coal,  which  breaks  with  a  conchoidal 
fracture,  and  is  traversed  by  vertical  seams  of  carbonate  of  lime,  which  are 
often  stained  with  the  oxyd  of  iron.  The  following  analysis  of  a  specimen  of 
this  coal,  from  the  mines  near  Pleasant  View,  by  Mr.  Henry  Pratten,  former 
chemist  and  assistant  in  the  Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  is  reported  in  Nor- 
wood's "Abstract  of  a  Report  on  Illinois  Coals,"  page  24  : 

Specific  gravity 1.286 

Loss  iu  coking 40. 60 

Total  weight  of  coke 59.40 

100.00 

Analysis :  Moisture 6.0 

Volatile  matters 34.6 

Carbon  in  coke 52.9 

Ashes  (deep  red) 6.5 

100.00 

Carbon  in  coal 5*7.8 

Another  analysis  of  a  specimen  from  Rose's  coal  bank,  near  Rushville,  from 


86  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

the  same  report,  is  as  follows,  and  is  interesting,  as  showing  the  variable  char- 
acter of  the  coals  from  the  same  seam  at  different  localities  : 

Specific  gravity 1.303 

Loss  in  coking 41.6 

Total  weight  of  coke 58.4 

100.00 

Analysis  :    Moisture 4.5 

Volatile  matters '. 37.1 

Carbon  in  coke 46.1 

Ashes,  (white) 12.3 

100.00 
Carbon  in  coal 51.79 

The  two  lower  seams,  ranging  from  two  to  three  feet  in  thickness,  are  not  so 
extensively  worked  at  the  present  time  as  the  one  above  mentioned,  but  as 
they  underlie  a  far  greater  extent  of  surface  than  the  upper  seam,  they  will,  no 
doubt,  furnish  by  far  the  greatest  amount  of  coal  in  the  aggregate.  No.  3  is 
worked  by  Mr.  Spillar,  about  a  mile  above  Frederick,  and  affords  an  excellent 
coal,  containing  less  of  the  bi-sulphuret  of  iron  than  the  coal  from  the  upper 
seam.  No.  2  is  often  divided  by  a  parting  of  clay  shale,  and  the  divisions  are 
then  usually  too  thin  to  be  worked,  but  at  other  localities,  it  forms  a  solid  seam 
from  too  to  three  feet  thick.  One  or  both  of  these  seams  will  be  found  under- 
lying the  greater  portion  of  the  uplands  north  and  east  of  Crooked  creek,  and 
accessible  at  many  points  in  the  county,  remote  from  the  outcrop  of  the  upper 
seam,  and  their  value  and  importance  will  be  eventually  appreciated,  as  popu- 
lation increases,  and  the  demand  for  coal  for  mechanical  and  manufacturing 
purposes  becomes  more  imperative. 

Clays. — Clays  suitable  for  fire  brick  and  for  the  manufacture  of  pottery,  are 
usually  abundant  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  the  bed 
of  clay  shale  below  coal  No.  2,  which  is  used  for  this  purpose  at  Ripley,  in 
Brown  county,  is  also  found  here.  We  found  an  exposure  of  it  on  the  place  for- 
merly owned  by  Mr.  James  A.  Chadsey,  on  Sugar  creek,  where  it  presented 
the  same  general  appearance  as  at  Ripley,  and  appeared  to  be  equally  well 
adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  potter's  ware.  At  the  coal  bank  of  McKee  and 
Chadsey,  on  the  head-waters  of  McKee's  creek,  north  of  Rushville,  there  is  a 
bed  of  excellent  fire  clay  under  the  upper  coal  seam,  from  four  to  six  feet  thick. 
This  may  be  only  a  local  development,  however,  as  at  all  the  other  localities  in 
the  county  where  we  saw  this  under-clay  exposed,  it  partook  more  of  the  char- 
acter of  a  clay  shale,  and  was  also  rather  too  thin  to  be  of  any  economical  value. 
The  fire  clay  below  coal  No.  2,  is  usually  of  a  good  quality,  and  may  be  profit- 
ably worked  in  connection  with  the  coal,  when  it  is  two  feet  or  more  in  thick- 
ness. Wherever  a  seam  of  good  fire  clay  occurs  with  these  lower  coals,  it  will 
add  materially  to  their  value,  enabling  the  miner  to  drift  more  economically 
for  both  together,  than  he  could  do  for  the  coal  alone. 


SCHUYLER  COUNTY.  87 

Iron  Ore. — Iron,  either  in  the  form  of  a  carbonate  or  sulphuret,  is  very  gen- 
erally distributed  through  the  Coal  Measures,  and  the  latter  is  almost  always 
found  more  or  less  in  the  coal  itself,  thereby  greatly  deteriorating  its  value. 
A  very  good  argillaceous  iron  ore  occurs  on  Sugar  creek,  on  the  place  formerly 
owned  by  Mr.  James  A.  Chadsey,  on  section  32,  township  2  north,  range  1 
east,  intercalated  in  the  shale  below  No.  2  coal.  It  occurs  in  several  bands? 
the  thickest  one  being  a  foot  in  thickness,  the  next  in  importance,  about  six 
inches,  and  then  some  thinner  ones,  making  altogether,  an  aggregate  of  about 
two  feet  in  thickness  of  iron  ore,  distributed  through  some  five  or  six  feet  of 
shale.  An  analysis  of  this  ore  by  Messrs.  Blaney  and  Mariner,  of  Chicago,  is 
given  in  this  place,  and  also,  for  comparison,  the  analysis  of  a  similar  ore  from 
Pennsylvania  : 

Analysis  of  Chadsey's  iron  ore : 

Protoxide  of  iron 52.31 

Lime 1.16 

Magnesia 1.48 

Silica 8.84 

Alumina 10.44 

Water  and  carbonic  acid 25.77 


100.00 

Analysis  of  argillaceous  iron  ore  from  Pennsylvania,  as  determined  by  Prof.  H.  D.  Rodgers: 

Peroxide  of  iron 23 

Protoxide  of  iron 53.03 

Lime 3.33 

Magnesia 1.77 

Silica 1.40 

Alumina 63 

Water,  carbonic  acid,  and  bitumen 39.61 


100.00 

In  regard  to  the  Schuyler  county  ore,  Messrs.  Blaney  and  Mariner  remark 
as  follows  :  ''  The  Chadsey  iron  ore  is  an  argillaceous  carbonate  of  iron,  of  ex- 
cellent quality,  comparing  favorably  with  the  Pennsylvania  ores,  the  analysis 
of  one  of  the  best  of  which  is  given  for  comparison."  There  is  no  question  as 
to  the  good  quality  of  this  ore  from  Schuyler  county,  and  the  only  point  that 
remains  to  be  determined  is,  whether  it  can  be  found  in  a  sufficient  body  to 
justify  the  erection  of  an  iron  furnace  in  this  vicinity.  Iron  ore  of  similar 
quality,  is  found  at  about  the  same  horizon,  at  several  localities  in  this  and  the 
adjoining  counties,  but  nowhere  in  large  bodies. 

Building  Stone. — Grood  building  stone  is  tolerably  abundant  in  this  county, 
and  is  accessible  on  nearly  all  the  streams.  The  sandstones  below  the  main 
coal  seam,  furnishes  a  free-stone  of  good  quality,  which  has  been  used  in  the 
construction  of  the  jail  in  Rushville.  The  strata  vary  in  thickness  from  one  to 


88  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

three  feet,  and  the  rock  is  even  textured,  and  is  easily  cut  and  dressed,  and  is 
used  for  caps  and  sills,  as  well  as  for  foundation  walls,  and  all  the  ordinary  pur- 
poses for  which  a  building  stone  is  required.  It  outcrops  on  McKee's  creek, 
north  of  Rushville,  and  also  on  the  small  branch  running  east  from  Pleasant 
View  into  Sugar  creek. 

The  brown  magnesian  limestone  of  the  St.  Louis  group,  furnishes  the  best 
material  for  culverts,  bridge  abutments  and  similar  purposes,  where  the  rock  is 
required  to  withstand  the  combined  influence  of  frost  and  moisture.  It  out- 
crops along  the  bluffs  of  Crooked  creek,  through  its  whole  extent  in  this  county, 
and  also  in  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  river,  as  far  north  as  Frederick. 

The  Keokuk  limestone,  underlying  the  geodiferous  shales  of  that  group, 
afford  some  good  building  stone,  but  its  outcrop  is  limited  to  the  bed  of  Crooked 
creek,  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  county.  At  the  best  exposures,  which 
were  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Birmingham,  the  rock  was  rather  thin  bedded 
and  cherty,  but  this  was  on  the  exposed  outcrop  of  the  bed,  where  the  strata 
had  been  split  into  thin  layers  by  the  combined  influence  of  frost  and  moisture. 
If  quarries  were  opened  in  this  rock,  extending  back  beyond  the  influence  of 
atmospheric  agencies,  it  would  be  found  to  improve  in  quality.  For  caps  and 
sills,  where  a  handsome  cut  stone  is  desired,  this  bed  will  afford  the  best  mate- 
rial for  that  purpose,  that  can  be  found  in  this  county. 

Limestone  for  Lime. — The  concretionary  gray  limestone,  which  forms  the 
upper  division  of  the  St.  Louis  group,  furnishes  the  best  limestone  for  the 
manufacture  of  quick  lime  to  be  found  in  this  portion  of  the  State,  and  it  may 
be  found  in  the  bluffs  of  Crooked  creek,  through  nearly  its  whole  course,  and 
at  intervals,  along  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  river,  as  far  north  as  Browning. 

At  Birmingham,  this  limestone  is  eighteen  feet  in  thickness,  which  is,  how- 
ever, considerable  more  than  it  will  average,  but  it  is  usually  from  eight  to  ten 
feet,  and  it  will  furnish  an  abundance  of  limestone  to  supply  the  demand  for 
lime  in  this  county,  for  all  time  to  come.  A  fair  article  of  lime  may  also  be 
made  from  the  Keokuk  limestone,  but  where  the  other  is  accessible,  it  is  always 
to  be  preferred. 

The  limestone  over  the  upper  coal  seam,  in  the  vicinity  of  Rushville,  has 
also  been  used  for  this  purpose,  but  it  does  not  appear  to  slack  readily  after 
burning,  and  would,  probably,  make  a  dark  colored  lime.  The  abundant  sup- 
ply of  both  wood  and  coal  in  this  county,  will  justify  the  manufacture  of  lime 
on  as  large  a  scale  as  the  wants  of  the  adjacent  region  shall  demand. 

Sand  and  Clay,  for  brick  making,  are  abundant  in  all  parts  of  the  county, 
and  may  be  readily  obtained  at  nearly  every  locality  where  the  manufacture  of 
common  brick  is  desirable.  The  brown  clay,  forming  the  sub-soil  over  a  large 
portion  of  the  surface,  answers  a  good  purpose  for  brick  making,  and  sand  is 


SCHUYLER  COUNTY.  89 

abundant  in  the  valleys  of  the  streams,  and  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county, 
in  the  Loess  which  caps  the  river  bluffs. 

Mineral  Springs. — A  sample  of  mineral  water  was  sent  to  me  from  this 
county,  the  locality  of  the  spring  not  given,  which  was  sent  to  Dr.  Blaney  for 
analysis,  and  the  following  is  his  report :  "  Has  an  acid  reaction,  a  strong 
styptic  taste,  a  trace  of  organic  matter,  and  an  obscure  trace  of  chlorides.  The 
residue,  after  evaporation  to  dryness,  does  not  give  efflorescence  with  acids.  A 
wine  gallon  (231  cubic  inches),  by  direct  determination,  gives  a  residue 
156  28-1000  grains  of  solid  matter,  which  consists  of — 

Sulphate  of  lime 73.936 

"          magnesia 2.982 

Proto-sulphate  of  iron 69.959 

Silica 1.315 

Alkaline  sulphates 7.836 

156.028" 


—12 


CHAPTER    VI. 

FULTON  COUNTY. 

This  county  contains  a  superficial  area  of  about  twenty-four  townships,  or 
eight  hundred  and  sixty-four  square  miles.  It  is  triangular  in  shape,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Knox  and  Peoria  counties,  on  the  east  by  Peoria 
county  and  the  Illinois  river,  on  the  south  by  Schuyler  county,  and  on  the 
west  by  Schuyler,  McDonough  and  Warren  counties. 

The  principal  streams  in  the  county  are  the  Illinois  river,  forming  its  main 
boundary  on  the  east  and  southeast  for  a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles ;  Spoon 
river  and  its  tributaries,  which  traverse  nearly  the  whole  extent  of  the  county, 
from  north  to  south,  and  Copperas  creek,  which  drains  a  considerable  area  in  the 
northeastern  portion  of  the  county.  These  streams  drain  the  whole  area  of  the 
county,  and  their  valleys  are  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet 
below  the  general  level  of  the  adjacent  highlands. 

The  surface  was  originally  nearly  equally  divided  into  prairie  and  timbered 
lands,  the  former  occupying  the  most  elevated  positions  of  the  county,  as  well 
as  a  part  of  the  Illinois  river  bottoms,  while  the  timber  belts  are  mainly  re- 
stricted to  the  more  broken  lands  skirting  the  water  courses.  Much  of  the 
original  timber,  however,  has  been  cleared  away  in  developing  the  agricultural 
interests  of  the  county,  and  splendid  farms  now  occupy  a  large  portion  of  the 
area  which,  but  a  few  years  since,  was  covered  with  a  dense  forest.  Much  of 
the  upland  was  originally  timbered  with  a  dense  growth  of  sugar-maple,  black 
walnut,  linden,  hackberry,  elm,  honey-locust  and  wild-cherry,  indicating  a  very 
rich  and  productive  soil.  This  growth  of  timber  usually  prevails  where  the 
Loess  overlies  the  drift  clays  on  a  tolerably  level  surface,  and  these  lands,  in 
their  productive  qualities,  are  second  to  none  in  the  State.  Where  the  surface 
is  broken  into  sharp  ridges,  along  the  borders  of  the  smaller  streams,  black  and 
white  oak,  and  hickory  is  the  prevailing  timber,  and  the  soil  is  a  thin  choco- 
late colored,  or  brown,  clay  loam,  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  small  grain,  clover 
or  fruit.  The  prairies  in  this  county  generally  have  a  rolling  surface,  though, 


FULTON    COUNTY.  91 

in  the  region  about  Fairview,  there  are  some  quite  flat  prairies  that  require 
draining  in  wet  seasons.  The  soil  on  the  prairies  is  a  dark  brown  or  black 
mould,  varying  from  one  to  three  feet  in  depth,  with  a  sub-soil  of  brown  clay 
loam. 

The  bottom  lands,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Illinois  river  in  this  county, 
are  from  .one  to  four  miles  in  width,  and  are  mostly  covered  with  timber, 
though  there  is  some  bottom  prairie  near  the  mouth  of  Spoon  river.  A  good 
deal  of  this  bottom  land  is  too  low  and  marshy  for  cultivation,  but  where  it  is 
sufficiently  elevated,  the  soil  is  a  rich  sandy  loam,  and  very  productive.  The 
bluffs  generally  range  from  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  in  height,  and  are  usually  cut  into  sharp  ridges  by  the  valleys  of  the  small 
streams  that  drain  the  adjacent  region.  The  lower  part  of  these  blufls,  to  the 
height  of  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  feet,  consist  of  the  stratified  rocks  of  the 
Coal  Measures  into  which  the  original  valley  was  excavated,  ana*  their  elevation 
has  been  subsequently  increased  by  the  accumulation  of  Drift  clays  and  lacus- 
trine deposits  upon  them.  The  valley  of  Spoon  river  seldom  exceeds  a  mile  in 
width,  and  is  excavated  into  the  Lower  G&rboniferous  limestone  on  that  part  of 
its  course,  extending  from  Seaville  to  Bernadotte.  The  depth^of  this  valley  is 
about  the  same  as  that  of  the  Illinois  river,  but  the  lower  rocks  are  reached 
here,  in  consequence  of  the  easterly  dip  of  the  strata,  which  brings  the  lime- 
stones nearer  to  the  surface  in  the  western  portion  of  the  county. 

Surface     Geology. 

The  surface  deposits  of  Fulton  county  consist  of  Drift  clays  and  gravel,  with 
the  subsequent  lacustrine  and  alluvial  accumulations.  The  Drift  proper,  ranges 
in  thickness  from  thirty  to  sixty  feet,  or  more,  and  is  usually  composed  of 
brown  and  bluish  colored  clays  with  gravel,  and  boulders  of  metamorphic  and 
igneous  rocks,  varying  in  size  from  a  pebble  to  masses  of  several  tons  weight. 
Usually,  the  brown  clays  constitute  the  upper  portion  of  the  deposit,  and  the 
blue  clays  the  lower.  In  the  vicinity  of  Utica,  a  bed  of  ferruginous  conglom- 
erate, about  two  feet  in  thickness,  underlies  the  Drift  clays,  and  similar  beds, 
in  local  outliers,  have  been  met  with  in  the  same  position,  at  several  localities 
in  the  State.  This  conglomerate  exactly  resembles  the  bed  at  Metropolis,  in 
Massac  county,  on  the  Ohio  river,  which  has  been  usually  referred  to  the  Ter- 
tiary period,  and  may  be  of  the  same  age. 

On  the  west  side  of  Big  creek  bridge,  near  Canton,  in  grading  the  track  for 
the  T.  P.  &  W.  railroad,  a  band  of  black  mould  or  soil,  containing  leaves  and 
fragments  of  wood,  was  found  below  the  Drift  clays,  which  is,  no  doubt,  a  part 
of  the  ancient  soil  covering  the  surface  anterior  to  the  Drift  epoch.  A  similar 
bed  has  been  found  in  sinking  shafts  and  wells  in  various  parts  of  the  State, 


(JZ  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

indicating  the  prevalence  of  dry  land  over  a  considerable  portion  of  the  pres- 
ent area  of  the  State,  during  the  Post-tertiary  period.  Mr.  John  Wolf,  of 
Canton,  reports  a  similar  bed  of  black  peaty  soil,  four  feet  in  thickness,  under- 
lying the  town  of  Fairview,  at  the  depth  of  eleven  feet.  The  heaviest  deposits 
of  Drift  occur  along  the  Illinois  river  bluffs,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Lewiston' 
where  the  beds  range  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  in  thickness,  while  in  the  central 
and  western  portions  of  the  county,  their  general  range  is  from  thirty  to  forty 
feet. 

The  Loess  caps  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  extends  back  for  three  or 
four  miles,  with  a  constantly  diminishing  thickness,  towards  the  interior  of  the 
county.  This  deposit  consists  of  buff,  or  light  brown,  loamy  sand,  imperfectly 
stratified,  and  locally  contains  an  abundance  of  land  and  fresh  water  shells, 
such  as  now  accumulate  at  the  bottom  of  fresh  water  ponds.  Its  presence  in 
the  river  bluffs  is  often  indicated  by  bald,  grassy  knobs,  which  prevail  more  or 
less  wherever  this  formation  is  extensively  developed.  It  is  always  uncon- 
formable  with  the  underlying  deposits,  and  presents  its  greatest  thickness 
immediately  at  the  river  bluffs,  thinning  out  rapidly  towards  the  interior  of  the 
adjacent  region.  Where  it  forms  the  sub-soil,  and  is  overlaid  by  a  loamy  clay 
soil,  we  find  the  heaviest  growth  of  upland  timber,  such  as  sugar-maple,  linden, 
wild-cherry,  black  walnut  and  elm,  and  the  lands,  when  reduced  to  cultivation, 
are  among  the  most  productive  in  the  State.  This  is  the  character  of  some  of 
the  timbered  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  Lewiston,  and  at  some  other  points  in  the 
county  adjacent  to  the  river  bluffs.  When  this  formation  was  deposited,  the 
valley  of  the  Illinois,  as  well  as  that  of  most  of  our  large  rivers,  was  a  vast 
fresh  water  lake,  into  which  the  sandy  material  that  constitutes  the  greater  part 
of  this  formation  was  transported  by  the  action  of  the  rains,  and  streams  of 
running  water  that  drained  (he  adjacent  highlands.  The  fossils  which  it  con- 
tains, are  mostly  of  the  same  species  of  land  and  fresh  water  shells  that  now 
inhabit  the  adjacent  region,  but  occasionally  the  remains  of  the  Mammoth 
Mastodon,  Megalonyx,  and  some  other  extinct  mammalia  have  been  found  in  it 
in  this  State. 

Older     Geological    Formations. 

The  stratified  rocks  of  this  county  belong,  mainly,  to  the  Coal  Measures,  with 
a  limited  exposure  of  the  St.  Louis  limestone  in  the  valley  of  Spoon  river. 
Nearly  all  the  uplands  in  the  county  are  underlaid  by  coal,  and  we  have  found 
here  the  most  complete  exposure  of  the  productive  Coal  Measures  that  have 
been  met  with  in  the  State,  and  hence  the  section  constructed  in  this  county 
will  be  considered  a  typical  one,  and  will  be  used  for  the  co-ordination  of  the 
coal  strata  throughout  the  central  and  western  portions  of  the  State.  We  have 
found  here  seven  consecutive  scams,  all  exposed  by  their  natural  outcrop, 


FULTON    COUNTY. 


93 


within  the  county,  and  all,  except  the  upper  one,  have  been  worked  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent.  The  aggregate  thickness  of  these  seams  is  about  twenty-five 
feet,  and  their  individual  range  is  from  twenty  inches  to  six  feet  in  thickness. 
The  three  lower  seams  outcrop  in  the  southern  and  western  portions  of  the 
county,  especially  along  the  bluffs  of  Spoon  river,  and  as  the  general  dip  of  the 
strata  is  to  the  eastward,  they  pass  below  the  level  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  are, 
therefore,  not  seen  on  the  eastern  borders  of  the  county.  The  upper  seams 
underlie  nearly  all  the  central  and  eastern  portions  of  the  county,  and  one  of 
them,  No.  4,  is  found  south  of  Spoon  river,  underlying  the  high  lands  in  the 
vicinity  of  Astoria.  The  following  section,  compiled  from  careful  measure- 
ments made  at  the  outcrops  seen  in  various  portions  of  the  county,  will  show 
the  relative  position  of  these  coals  with  each  other,  and  the  character  and  thick- 
ness of  the  strata  with  which  they  are  associated  : 

Section  of  the  Coal  Measures  in  Fulton  County: 


4  to  G  feet.        Thin  bedded  gray  limestone. 


15  to  20  feet. 


37  feet. 


3  to  5  feet. 


5  to  10  feet. 


15  to  20  feet. 


2  to  3  feet 


25  to  30  feet. 


2  to  6  feet. 


Shales  but  partially  exposed. 
Coal  seam  No.  T. 

Shale  and  shaly  sandstone. 

Argillaceous  limestone  and  bltumiuou*  shale, 
Coal  seam  No.  6. 

Fire  clay  and  nodular  limestone. 
Sandstone  and  shale. 

Black  shale  and  nodules  of  limestone. 
Coal  seam  No.  5. 

Sandy  and  argillaceous  shales. 

Bituminous  shale  and  limestone. 
Coal  seam  No.  4. 


3  to  6  feet.        Clay  shale  and  septaria. 


GO  to  SO  feet. 


Sandstones  and  sandy  shales. 


GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 


2  to  6  feet. 


3  to  4  feet. 


30  to  40  feet. 


40  to  60  feet. 


3  to  6  feet. 


1  to  6  feet. 


2  to  3  feet. 


20  to  30  feet. 


Dark  blue  silicious  limestone, 
filack  eh  ale. 

Coal  seam  No.  3. 


Argillaceous  and  sandy  shales  and  sandstone. 
Coal  seam  No.  2. 

Sandstone  and  shale. 

Bituminous  limestone  and  band  of  ir^n  ore. 
Bituminous  shale. 

Coal  seam  No.  1. 
Clay  shale  or  fire  clay. 

Conglomerate  sandstone  and  shale. 


These  coals  we  have  numbered  from  the  bottom  upward,  and  they  will  be 
described  in  the  same  order.  The  only  point  in  the  county  where  we  found 
No.  1  sufficiently  developed  to  be  worked  profitably,  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Sea- 
ville,  on  the  west  side  of  Spoon  river,  at  the  crossing  of  the  T.  P.  &  W.  rail- 
road. The  seam  is  worked  here  at  two  localities,  one  above  the  railroad  bridge 
and  the  other  below.  At  these  mines,  the  coal  averages  about  three  feet  in 
thickness,  and  is  mined  by  tunneling  into  the  bluff  on  the  outcrop  of  the  seam. 
About  a  hundred  yards  to  the  westward  of  Mr.  Harris's  mine,  below  Seaville 
Station,  the  seam  is  divided  by  a  parting  of  shale,  which  soon  thickens  to  the 
westward,  to  three  or  four  feet,  and  thus  destroys  the  value  of  the  seam  for 
mining.  The  roof  consists  of  a  bituminous  shale,  that  ranges  in  thickness  from 
one  to  six  feet,  above  which  there  is  a  bed  of  blue  argillaceous  limestone,  from 
three  to  six  feet  thick,  forming,  altogether,  an  excellent  roof  to  the  coal. 

The  limestone  at  this  locality,  has  afforded  an  interesting  group  of  fossils, 
several  of  which  have  hitherto  been  considered  as  especially  characteristic  of 
tne  upper  coals.  We  obtained  the  following  species  at  this  locality:  Athyris 
subtilita,  Retzia  punctilifera,  Spirifer  cameratus,  S.  Kentuckensis,  S-  opimus, 
Productus  Prattenanus,  P.  nana,  P.  punctatus,  Ortliis  carbonaria,  Terebratula 


FULTON    COUNTY.  95 

boviclcns,  ScMzodus  Alpinus,  S.  amplus,  Macroclieilus  inliabilis,  Eupacliycrinus 
tuber culatus,  or  a  closely  allied  species,  Zcacrinus  mucrospinus,  and  several  un- 
determined species  of  Bryozoa.  This  group  of  fossils,  if  found  in  connection 
with  a  coal,  the  position  of  which  could  not  be  determined  from  the  associated 
strata,  would  certainly  be  considered  as  strongly  indicating  an  upper  coal  hori- 
zon, and  their  occurrence  here  at  the  very  base  of  the  Coal  Measures,  shows 
that  many  species  at  least,  of  the  fauna  of  the  carboniferous  epoch,  range 
through  the  whole  extent  of  the  coal-bearing  strata. 

We  also  found  this  seam  well  exposed  in  the  cuts  of  tha  C.  B.  &  Q.  railroad, 
through  the  bluffs  on  the  north  side  of  Spoon  river,  below  Lewiston.  It  is 
divided  here  by  a  parting  of  shale,  which  leaves  both  divisions  of  the  seam  too 
thin  to  be  of  any  practical  value  for  mining,  as  the  average  thickness  of  the 
two  divisions  ranges  from  six  to  twelve  inches  only,  and  they  are  too  widely 
separated  at  this  point  to  be  mined  together.  In  the  vicinity  of  Bernadotte,  a 
good  section  of  the  lower  coals  may  be  seen  in  the  bluffs  of  Spoon  river,  but 
the  horizon  of  No.  1  coal  was  only  indicated  by  a  bed  of  bituminous  shale,  four 
feet  in  thickness. 

The  following  section  was  made  near  .Bernadotte  : 


FEET. 

IN". 

Shale  and  sandstone  

38 

Coal  No.  2?  

2 

6 

Fire  clay  

3 

Arenaceous  limestone  , 

1 

Clay  shale  

4 

Bituminous  shale  

1 

3 

Clay  shale  

4 

Band  of  septaria  

1 

Shale  and  sandstone  

10 

Bituminous  slate  

1 

>  6 

Sandstone  and  shale  

24 

Bituminous  shale  (Coal  No.  1  ?)  

4 

Clay  shale  with  iron  ore 5  to  6 

Sandstone  and  shale 15  "  20 

St.  Louis  limestone    6 

No.  1  coal  is  probably  represented  in  the  above  section  by  the  lower  bed  of 
bituminous  shale,  and  we  find  two  additional  seams  of  bituminous  shale  below 
the  upper  coal  in  this  section  that  are  not  found  at  Seaville.  Nevertheless, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  equivalency  of  the  strata  at  these  localities,  as  at 
both,  the  sandstane  at  the  base  of  the  section  rests  directly  upon  the  St.  Louis 
limestone. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Avon,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county,  a  seam  of 
cannel  coal  occurs,  occupying,  apparently,  about  the  same  horizon  as  the  lower 
bed  of  bituminous  shale  in  the  foregoing  section,  though,  from  the  imperfect 


96  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

exposure  of  the  strata  associated  with  it,  its  exact  position  could  not  be  accu- 
rately determined.  The  seam  is  here  only  about  14  to  20  inches  in  thickness, 
and  was  extensively  worked  at  the  time  of  our  first  visit  to  the  county,  in  1859, 
for  the  distillation  of  coal  oil.  Ten  retorts  were  then  in  operation  at  this  lo- 
cality, and  the  product  was  said  to  be  thirty  gallons  of  oil  from  a  ton  of  coal. 
However,  the  development  of  the  oil  wells  of  Pennsylvania,  shortly  afterwards, 
put  a  stop  to  the  manufacture  of  oil  from  cannel  coals  in  this  State,  and  the 
mines  were  abandoned.  This  seam  is  underlaid  here  by  about  five  feet  of 
excellent  fire  clay,  which  was  worked  at  that  time  in  connection  with  the  coal, 
and  used  in  the  manufacture  of  fire  brick.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
this  exposure,  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill,  a  two  foot  seam  of  bituminous  coal 
is  seen,  overlaid  by  two  feet  of  dark  blue  bituminous  limestone,  exactly  like 
that  above  coal  No.  1,  at  Seaville.  The  seam  of  cannel  coal  is  probably  the 
lower  division  of  No.  1,  or  a  local  development  of  another  seam,  occupying 
nearly  the  same  horizon. 

On  Swan  creek,  one  mile  north  of  Avon,  the  following  beds  are  exposed : 

FEET.    IN. 

Sandy  shales 16 

Coal 0   10 

Fire  clay  and  shale 20 

Band  of  iron  ore 0  10 

Bituminous  shale 5 

Sandstone 10 

The  band  of  iron  ore  in  the  above  section  resembles  very  closely  that  at 
Chadsey's  place,  in  Schuyler  county,  and  at  Seaville,  in  this  county,  above  coal 
No.  1,  and  probably  occupies  the  same  horizon.  If  so,  it  shows  a  very  irregu- 
lar development  of  the  lower  coal  in  this  vicinity,  and  it  is  probable  that  this 
seam  is  the  least  reliable  of  all  the  coals  in  this  county,  except  No.  5,  hereafter 
to  be  mentioned. 

Coal  No.  2  is  one  of  the  most  regular  seams  in  the  whole  series,  and  usually 
ranges  from  two  to  three  feet  in  thickness.  It  will  be  found  everywhere  in  the 
bluffs  of  Spoon  river,  where  the  strata  are  well  exposed,  and  its  stratigraphical 
position  is  generally  about  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the  horizon  of  No.  1, 
although,  in  the  vicinity  of  Seaville,  the  distance  intervening  between  them 
is  about  seventy  feet.  The  roof  is  almost  invariably  a  blue  clay  shale,  and  in 
tunneling  it  requires  to  be  thoroughly  cribbed  to  prevent  the  falling  of  the 
roof.  In  the  south  part  of  the  county,  this  seam  outcrops  on  Otter  creek, 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Vermont,  where  it  has  been  worked  since  the 
earliest  settlement  of  the  county.  It  ranges  in  thickness  from  two  and  a-half 
to  three  feet,  in  this  vicinity,  and  outcrops  along  the  bluffs  of  the  creek  for  a 
distance  of  three  or  four  miles.  A  boring  for  oil  was  made  in  the  valley  of 
this  creek,  commencing  just  below  the  horizon  of  No.  2,  and  extending  to  the 


FULTON    COUNTY.  97 

depth  of  about  eight  hundred  feet,  but  unfortunately  no  journal  was  kept  of 
the  different  strata  passed  through.  The  Lower  Carboniferous  limestone  was 
reached  at  a  depth  of  about  sixty  feet,  as  we  learned  from  Mr.  Matthewson, 
who  made  the  boring,  and  he  also  stated  that  no  coal  was  passed  through  in  the 
boring,  which  would  indicate  that  there  was  no  development  of  coal  No.  1  at 
this  point. 

In  the  bluffs  of  Spoon  river,  south  of  Lewiston,  as  well  as  on  some  of  the 
small  tributaries  of  that  stream  in  the  same  vicinity,  No.  2  is  worked  at 
many  points,  and  about  a  mile  west  of  the  city,  at  one  or  two  of  the  localities 
examined,  the  roof  was  found  to  be  slightly  calcareous,  and  contained  several 
species  of  fossil  shells,  among  which  we  observed  Lingula  umbonata,  Productus 
Prattenanus,  P.  muricatus,  Macrocheilus,  Nautilus,  etc.  A  half  mile  east  of 
Lewiston,  this  seam  has  been  opened  by  a  shaft  forty  feet  in  depth,  on  the  lands 
of  Mr.  Hunter.  This  shaft  is  situated  in  the  valley  of  a  small  stream,  and 
about  sixty  feet  below  the  level  on  which  the  city  is  built.  Two  miles  and 
a-half  southeast  of  Lewiston,  we  found  a  mine  opened  in  this  seam,  on  the 
lands  of  Mr.  "VYm.  Winterbottom,  on  our  first  visit  to  the  county,  in  1859, 
and  at  the  same  time  it  had  been  opened  a  mile  nearer  to  the  town,  by  Mr. 
Butler.  At  both  these  localities,  the  coal  varies  from  two  and  a-half  to  three 
feet  in  thickness,  and  is  overlaid  by  blue  shale  and  sandstone. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Bernadotte,  this  coal  is  found  at  an  elevation  of  about 
eighty  feet  above  the  river  level,  and  the  coal  was  mined  by  Mr.  Parks,  one 
mile  and  a-half  southwest  of  the  village,  in  1859.  In  the  vicinity  of  Seaville 
this  seam  has  been  opened  on  Mr.  Harris's  place,  a  little  south  of  the  school 
house,  where  the  coal  has  been  worked  in  open  trenches,  by  throwing  off  the 
overlying  shale.  In  the  vicinity  of  Avon,  it  was  not  met  with,  unless  it  is 
represented  by  the  ten-inch  seam  near  the  top  of  the  section,  on  Swan  creek. 
No.  2  usually  affords  a  coal  of  excellent  quality,  freer  from  the  bi  sulphuret  of 
iron  than  the  average  of  Illinois  coals,  and  one  that  cokes  well,  and  contains 
more  than  an  average  per  cent,  of  fixed  carbon.  An  analysis  of  this  coal  will 
be  found  further  on. 

Coal  No.  3  has  been  mined  but  little  in  this  county,  and  consequently  we 
know  less  of  its  peculiar  characters,  than  of  the  seams  lying  either  above  or 
below  it.  It  is  somewhat  irregular  in  its  development,  resembling  No.  1  in 
that  respect.  It  usually  lies  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  above  No.  2,  but  in  the 
bluffs  of  Spoon  river,  near  Seaville,  they  are  only  a  little  more  than  twenty  feet 
asunder.  It  is  almost  invariably  overlaid  by  black  slate,  and  a  dark  blue  or 
bluish  gray  silicious  limestone,  which  contains  Aviculopecten  rectalaterarea, 
Cardiomorpha  Missouriensis,  with  two  or  three  species  of  small  Nautili  and 
Goniatites.  About  two  miles  southwest  of  Bryant  Station,  the  limestone  and 
slate  above  outcrops  at  the  water's  edge  on  Big  creek,  and,  about  a  quarter  of 
—13 


98  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

a  mile  further  down  the  creek,  a  tunnel  has  been  made  into  the  coal  where  it 
was  said  to  be  five  feet  thick,  but,  from  the  partial  filling  up  of  the  opening, 
we  were  unable  to  ascertain  its  exact  thickness.  In  the  vicinity  of  Marietta, 
we  found  a  coal  seam  opened  in  1859,  on  section  12,  township  6  north,  range 
1  east,  which  we  are  inclined  to  believe  is  this  coal,  though  the  seam  is  here 
only  about  two  feet  six  inches  in  thickness.  In  the  bluff,  at  Seaville,  the 
blue  silicious  limestone  usually  overlying  this  coal,  is  found  about  twenty-five 
feet  above  coal  No.  2,  but  there  is  only  a  few  inches  of  black  shale  to  represent 
the  coal  that  belongs  below  it.  In  the  bed  of  Coal  creek,  three  miles  northwest 
of  Fairview,  this  coal  is  'found  in  the  bed  of  the  creek.  It  is  here  only  about 
eighteen  inches  in  thickness,  and  is  overlaid  by  about  two  feet  of  bituminous 
shale,  above  which  is  the  blue  silicious  limestone  about  two  feet  thick,  con- 
taining the  characteristic  fossils  of  this  coal.  Nodules  of  septaria,  associated 
with  a  band  of  iron  ore,  occur  here,  above  the  limestone.  This  septaria,  has  a 
blue  ground,  veined  with  pearl  spar,  and  affords  very  handsome  specimens. 

Coal  No.  4  is  a  very  persistent  seam  in  its  development,  and  has  been  found 
at  every  locality  in  the  county  that  we  have  examined,  where  the  proper  hori- 
zon for  it  was  exposed.  On  the  south  side  of  Spoon  river,  it  underlies  the 
high  lands  about  Astoria,  and  we  found  it  opened  a  half  mile  northwest  of  the 
town  in  1859.  The  seam  is  here  from  four  and  a  half  to  five  feet  in  thick- 
ness, and  -is  overlaid  by  two  feet  or  more  of  black  shale  that  forms  a  good 
roof.  Nodules  of  dark  blue  limestone  occur  in  the  black  shale  above  the  coal, 
filled  with  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this  horizon.  On  the  north  side  of  Spoon 
river,  we  found  this  seam  outcropping  in  the  bluffs  of  Big  creek,  west  of  Bryant 
Station,  about  twenty  five  feet  above  the  creek  valley.  The  coal  had  been  un- 
dermined here,  in  the  excavation  of  the  valley,  and  a  portion  of  it.  with  the 
overlying  strata,  and  covering  a  considerable  area,  had  fallen  down  about  twenty 
feet  below  its  original  level,  and  retains  its  horizontal  position  so  nearly,  that 
we  were  at  first  disposed  to  regard  it  as  the  apparent  outcrop  of  two  distinct 
seams,  but  further  investigations  showed  that  all  the  coal  exposed  here,  proba- 
bly belonged  to  the  same  horizon.  The  roof  shales  at  this  locality  contained 
many  large  concretions  of  bituminous  limestone,  filled  with  the  characteristic 
fossils  of  this  seam,  among  which  are  Discina  nitida,  very  abundant,  Productus 
muricatus,  abundant,  Clinopistha  radiata,  Schizodus  curtus  ?  Pleurophorus  solen- 
iformis,  P.  radiatus,  Nautilus,  one  or  more  species,  and  a  small  Orthoceras. 

This  seam  has  been  more  extensively  worked  by  Mr.  David  Williams,  at  Can- 
ton and  St.  Davids,  than  by  any  other  person  in  this  county.  His  main  shaft 
is  about  half  a  mile  southwest  of  Canton,  and  is  about  eighty-five  feet  in  depth, 
passing  through  the  following  beds  : 

FEET. 

Drift  clay 30 

Sandstone  and  shale 50 


FULTON  COUNTY.  99 

FEKT. 

Black  slate,  with  limestone  nodules 3 

Coal  No.  4 5 

Below  the  coal,  there  is  a  bed  of  septaria  limestone,  from  three  to  four  feet, 
and  below  that,  a  fire  clay,  three  or  four  feet  in  thickness,  passing  downward 
into  clay  shale.  This  seam  affords  a  heavy  coal,  rich  in  bitumen,  and  contains 
from  thirty-five  to  forty  per  cent,  of  volatile  matters,  and  from  fifty-five  to  fifty- 
six  per  cent,  of  fixed  carbon.  At  his  middle  shaft,  a  little  further  down  on 
Big  creek,  the  outcrop  of  coal  No.  6  may  be  seen  about  sixty  five  feet  above 
No.  4,  with  no  indications  of  the  presence  of  No.  5  at  this  point.  The  coal 
from  the  two  shafts  near  Canton,  finds  a  market  mainly  on  the  line  of  the  T. 
P.  &  "W.  railroad,  while  that  at  St.  Davids,  three  miles  below,  finds  a  ready 
market  on  the  Lewiston  branch  of  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  railroad,  now  completed  from 
Rushville  to  Galesburg. 

At  Breed's  Station,  on  the  T.  P.  &  W.  railroad,  about  six  miles  east  of  Can- 
ton, a  tunnel  has  been  opened  in  this  seam,  by  Mr.  J.  R.  Breed.  The  coal 
averages  about  five  feet  in  thickness  at  this  mine,  and  has  a  good  roof  of  black 
slate,  from  two  and  a-half  to  three  feet  in  thickness.  The  coals  Nos.  5  and  6, 
or  6  and  7,  are  said  to  outcrop  in  the  hills  in  this  vicinity,  but  have  not  been 
opened.  The  upper  two  feet  of  the  coal  at  this  mine,  appears  to  be  quite  free 
from  iron  pyrites,  and  is  reputed  a  good  smith's  coal.  A  band  of  iron  ore,  re- 
sembling "Black  Band  Ore,"  was  observed  in  connection  with  this  coal,  but 
apparently  too  thin  to  be  of  any  practical  importance.  This  seam  outcrops  at 
various  points  on  Copperas  creek,  and  may  be  conveniently  worked  by  tunnels 
in  the  hill  sides,  or  in  open  trenches,  where  it  underlies  the  creek  valley. 

About  two  miles  southeast  of  Cuba,  we  found  this  seam  opened  in  1859,  on 
the  land  then  owned  by  Mr.  John  Winterbottom.  The  coal  at  this  locality 
ranges  from  four  and  a  half  to  five  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  overlaid  by  about 
three  feet  of  black  slate,  with  concretions  of  argillaceous  limestone.  This  seam 
affords  a  coal  of  good  quality,  in  this  vicinity,  hard,  bright,  and  generally  quite 
free  from  iron  pyrites.  We  also  saw  the  outcrop  of  No.  4,  about  a  mile  north 
of  Cuba,  where  it  was  found,  by  measurement,  to  be  thirty-two  feet  below  No. 
5.  Northwest  of  Fairview,  this  seam  is  worked  at  several  points  on  the  breaks 
of  Coal  creek,  where  it  presents  its  usual  thickness  and  appearance.  It  may 
be  fairly  considered  as  the  most  valuable  of  all  the  coals  outcropping  in  this 
county,  from  its  wide  extent,  and  the  average  quality  of  the  coal  which  it 
affords. 

No.  5  appears  to  be  quite  local  in  its  development,  and  we  found  it  worked 
only  in  the  vicinity  of  Cuba,  where  it  ranges  from  four  to  five  feet  in  thick- 
ness, but  it  has  also  been  found  at  two  or  three  points  in  the  vicinity  of  Can- 
ton, where  it  occurs  in  local  basins,  or  "  pockets,"  sometimes  attaining  a  thick- 


100  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

ness  often  or  twelve  feet,  and  then  thinning  out  entirely  in  a  distance  of  a  few 
rods.  It  affords  a  softer  and  lighter  coal  than  that  from  No.  4,  and  in  this  re- 
spect, it  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  coal  from  No  6.  A  section  of  the  Cuba 
coal  shaft,  including  the  beds  below,  down  to  the  horizon  of  No.  4  coal,  is  as 
follows : 

FEET.       IN. 

Hard  blue  limestone 8  to     4 

Black  slate 1   "     2 

Coal  No.  6 6 

Fire  clay 5 

Nodular  limestone,  with  Ckcetetes  milleporaceous 4     6 

Clay  shale 6 

Limestone 1     6 

Sandstone  and  shale  ...    5 

Limestone 1 

Black  shale 9 

CoalNo.5 4"     5 

Shale 30 

Black  slate 2 

Coal,  No.  4 6 

In  the  vMJinity  of  Canton,  the  horizon  of  this  coal  is  exposed  at  many  points, 
•where  no  indication  of  coal  is  seen.  This  is  the  seam  worked  in  the  shaft  at 
Cuba,  and  it  affords  a  tolerably  soft  coal,  that  burns  freely  and  leaves  but  little 
clinker. 

At  Mr.  John  Williams's  place,  five  miles  and  a  half  northeast  of  Canton, 
there  are  two  coal  seams  exposed  in  the  same  hill-side,  and  both  are  directly 
overlaid  by  sandstone.  I  am  inclined  to  regard  them  as  coals  5  and  6,  and 
they  are  separated  by  about  thirty  feet  of  sandstone,  very  similar  in  its  appear- 
ance to  that  usually  found  overlying  No.  6.  These  coal  seams  average  about 
four  feet  and  a  half  in  thickness,  and  the  sandstone  forms  a  very  good  roof. 
These  are  the  only  points  in  the  county  where  we  found  No.  5  sufficiently  well 
developed  to  be  of  any  practical  value,  though  it  is  quite  probable  that  it  may 
be  found  elsewhere.  It  usually  lies  about  midway  between  coals  4  and  6,  or 
thirty  feet  above  the  former,  and  about  the  same  distance  below  the  latter,  and 
•when  either  of  these  seams  are  found,  the  horizon  of  No.  5  can  readily  be  de- 
termined. 

Coal  No.  6  is  the  highest  coal  in  the  series  that  has  been  worked  to  any  ex- 
tent in  this  county,  and  it  affords  an  excellent  coking  coal,  and  also  a  better 
smith's  coal  than  is  usually  obtained  from  either  of  the  lower  seams.  On  our 
first  visit  to  this  county,  in  1859,  we  found  this  seam  opened  at  Mr.  Piper's 
place,  two  miles  north  of  Canton  ;  at  Mr.  Burton's  place,  two  and  a  half  miles 
north  of  Farmington,  and  it  was  also  worked  by  Mr.  Burbridge  at  that  time, 
about  three  miles  west  of  Farmington,  on  Little's  creek.  More  recently,  it  has 


FULTON    COUNTY.  101 

been  opened  by  Mr.  Johnson,  on  lands  adjoining  Piper's,  and  about  the  same 
distance  from  Canton.  This  coal  varies  in  thickness  from  four  to  five  and  a 
half  feet,  and  at  all  the  localities  examined  in  this  county,  the  seam  is  invaria- 
bly divided  a  little  below  the  middle,  by  a  clay  parting  from  one  to  two  inches 
in  thickness.  This  character  alone,  will  serve  to  distinguish  this  seam  any  where 
in  this  county,  from  either  of  those  below  it.  This  coal  is  usually  overlaid  by 
a  hard,  black  shale,  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  in  thickness,  which  comes  im- 
mediately above  the  coal,  and  is  succeeded  by  buff,  or  yellow  shaly,  or  compact 
limestone,  above  which  comes  a  heavy  bed  of  sandstone.  At  some  localities, 
the  slate  and  limestone  are  wanting,  and  the  sandstone  rests  directly  upon  the 
coal.  Where  the  limestone  is  present,  it  contains  a  great  number  of  minute 
fossils,  resembling  grains  of  wheat,  and  about  the  same  size.  This  small  fossil 
is  called  Fusulina,  of  which  there  are  two  or  three  species  in  the  Coal  Meas- 
ures of  this  State,  and  they  may  be  regarded  as  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this 
coal.  It  is  also  frequently  underlaid  by  a  calcareous  fire  clay,  containing  a  fos- 
sil coral  in  great  abundance,  known  as  Chsetttcs  milleporaceous,  which,  so  far 
as  we  know,  has  not  been  found  in  this  State  below  the  horizon  of  this  coal,  but 
has  also  been  found  in  connection  with  No.  7.  There  is  also  a  thin  layer  of 
limestone  above  No.  6  coal,  that  appears  to  be  mainly  composed  of  the  remains 
of  minute  Foraminifera,  and  polished  sections  of  the  stone  exhibit  many  of 
these  microscopic  fossils  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation. 

Six  miles  northeast  of  Canton,  on  a  branch  of  Copperas  creek,  near  Mr. 
Kosenbaum's  place,  this  coal  has-been  worked  by  tunneling  into  the  base  of 
the  hill,  on  the  outcrop  of  the  seam,  and  the  strata  intervening  between  this 
and  the  upper  seam  are  well  exposed.  The  distance  between  these  coals  at  this 
point  is  37  feet,  and  the  intervening  strata  consist  entirely  of  sandy  and 
argillaceous  shales.  These  two  coals  are  also  found  together  at  Powel's  coal 
bank  about  two  miles  east  of  Norris,  where  No.  6  has  been  mined  for  several 
years  to  supply  the  coal  demand  of  the  surrounding  region. 

Burbridge  &  Co.'s  shaft,  one  mile  west  of  Farmington,  in  the  valley  of  one 
of  the  branches  of  Coal  creek,  reaches  coal  No.  6  at  a  depth  of  twenty-six 
feet.  The  coal  is  four  feet  and  a-half  in  thickness  at  this  shaft,  and  similar  in 
quality  to  that  at  Piper's  mine,  near  Canton.  This  seam  lies  about  ninetv  feet 
below  the  level  of  the  town  of  Farmington,  and  coal  No.  7  outcrops  on  the 
hill  side  east  of  Burbridge's  shaft,  and  from  thirty-five  to  forty  feet  above  No.  6. 
Two  miles  northeast  of  Fairview,  No.  6  is  mined  in  the  bluffs  of  Coal  creek, 
and  is  here  about  four  feet  and  a-half  in  thickness,  with  a  good  roof  of  black 
slate,  above  which  there  is  about  twenty  feet  of  massive  sandstone.  This  seam 
probably  underlies  some  three  or  four  townships,  north  and  east  of  Canton, 
and  may  be  reached  any  where  in  that  region  at  a  depth  varying  from  twenty- 
five  to  one  hundred  feet. 


102  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Coal  No.  7  is  the  highest  coal  strata  seen  in  this  county,  and  being  usually 
only  from  sixteen  to  twenty  inches  in  thickness,  no  attempt  has  been  made  to 
mine  it  in  competition  with  the  thicker  seams  that  underlie  it,  and  outcrop 
over  a  much  wider  area  in  this  county.  Judging  only  from  the  appearance  of 
the  coal,  where  it  was  exposed  in  natural  outcrops,  we  were  disposed  to  regard 
it  as  a  coal  of  a  very  superior  quality,  good  enough,  apparently,  to  be  used  in 
the  iron  furnace  without  coking,  and  hence,  if  it  should  be  found  as  much  as 
two  feet  in  thickness,  at  some  favorable  locality,  it  might  be  mined  as  success- 
fully as  some  of  the  heavier  seams  are  at  the  present  time.  It  outcrops  on  the 
head  of  Big  creek,  about  a  mile  north  of  Piper's  mine,  along  most  of  the  hill- 
sides east  of  Norris,  to  Copperas  creek,  and  also  underlies  all  the  highlands 
about  Farmington.  At  Powel's  mine,  two  miles  east  of  Norris,  the  following 
measured  section  was  made,  showing  the  relative  position  of  the  two  upper 
coals,  and  the  character  of  the  strata  associated  with  them,  and  they  constitute 
the  highest  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures  seen  in  this  county : 

FEET.       IN. 

Compact,  hard  gray  limestone 4  to    6 

Shale,  partially  hidden 15 

Coal  No.  7 1     4 

Shale,  and  shaly  sandstone 35 

Brown  argillaceous  limestone 2     6 

Bituminous  shale 1  "     2 

Coal  No.  6 4     6 

The  limestone  at  the  top  of  this  section  appears  to  form  the  bed  rock  over  the 
highest  ground  in  the  region  of  Farmington,  where  it  is  immediately  overlaid  by 
the  Drift  deposits,  and  is  probably  the  highest  rock  exposed  south  and  west  of  the 
Kickapoo.  Just  over  the  line,  in  Peoria  county,  the  bed  is  twenty  feet  or  more 
in  thickness,  which  was  probably  its  original  thickness  in  the  vicinity  of  Farm- 
ington, but  it  has  been  reduced  to  its  present  thickness,  perhaps  by  erosion 
anterior  to,  or  during  the  Drift  period. 

Conglomerate. — At  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures,  in  this  county,  there  is 
from  ten  to  twenty-five  feet  of  coarse  grained  sandstone,  which  probably  repre- 
sents the  conglomerate  usually  underlying  the  lower  coals.  This  sandstone  was 
only  seen  at  two  or  three  points  in  the  bluffs  of  Spoon  river,  between  Seaville 
and  Bernadotte.  Just  below  Seaville  Station,  it  measures  about  twenty-five 
feet  in  thickness,  extending  from  the  under  clay  of  No.  1,  which  rests  imme- 
diately upon  it,  down  to  the  low  water  level  of  the  river,  where  it  rests  upon 
the  St.  Louis  limestone.  The  sandstone  is  here  a  massive,  coarse  grained  rock, 
quite  ferruginous,  and  forms  a  mural  cliff,  from  its  tendency  to  harden  on  ex- 
posure. At  Bernadotte,  it  is  thin  bedded,  and  partly  shaly,  and  crumbles 
readily  on  exposure  to  the  atmosphere.  It  is  quite  irregular  in  its  developmen* 
and  general  aspect,  and  cannot  always  be  identified  unless  found  in  connection 


FULTON    COUNTY.  103 

with  the  coal  seams  above,  or  the  limestones  below,  because  of  its  close  resem- 
blance to  some  other  sandstones  of  the  Coal  Measures. 

St.  Louis  Limestone. — The  outcrop  of  this  formation  appears  to  be  restricted 
to  the  valley  of  Spoon  river,  between  Bernadotte  and  Seaville,  and  there  are 
but  few  points  where  it  is  well  exposed.  At  Bernadotte,  there  is  only  from 
six  to  ten  feet  of  this  limestone  exposed  above  the  lower  water  level  of  the 
river.  The  rock  is  concretionary  in  structure,  and  contains  Lithostrotion  pro- 
liferum  and  L.  canadense,  the  most  characteristic  fossils  of  the  upper  division 
of  this  formation.  Just  above  the  mouth  of  Barker's  run,  on  Spoon  river,  the 
following  section  of  this  limestone  group  was  seen  : 

FEET. 

Gray  concretionary  limestone 10 

Bro.  magnesian  limestone 12 

Arenaceous  beds,  partly  hidden 16 

The  two  lower  divisions  of  the  above  section  are  tolerably  even  bedded,  the 
layers  varying  in  thickness  from  six  inches  to  two  feet,  and  will  afford  an  ex- 
cellent building  stone.  The  magnesian  limestone  is  especially  valuable  for 
culverts  and  bridge  abutments,  where  a  rock  is  required  to  resist  the  combined 
influenceof  frost  and  moisture.  A  very  fine  specimen  of  Lithostrotion  canadense 
was  fonnd  at  this  locality  by  Mr.  James  H.  Cooper,  and  presented  by  him  to 
the  State  Cabinet.  We  saw  no  other  locality  in  the  county  where  so  great  a 
thickness  of  this  formation  was  exposed  as  at  this  point. 

Economical    Geology. 

Bituminous  Coal. — The  great  mineral  wealth  of  this  county,  as  must  be  ap- 
parent from  the  perusal  of  the  preceding  pages,  consists  in  its  almost  inexhausti- 
ble beds  of  coal,  which  are  so  distributed  as  to  be  easily  accessible  to  every 
portion  of  the  county.  The  three  lower  seams,  ranging  from  two  to  four  feet 
in  thickness,  outcrop  on  all  the  principal  streams  in  the  southern  and  western 
portions  of  the  county,  while  coals  4,  5  and  6,  the  thickest  aud  most  valuable 
seams  known  in  the  northern  portion  of  the  State,  underlie  the  central  and 
northeastern  portions  of  the  county,  and  are  easily  accessible  at  any  point 
where  a  large  supply  of  coal  may  be  required.  These  coals  underlie  nearly,  or 
quite,  seven  townships  in  this  county,  with  an  aggregate  thickness  of  about 
fourteen  feet,  and  throwing  out  of  the  calculation  entirely,  No.  5,  which  is  more 
local  in  its  development  than  the  other  two,  we  still  have  an  aggregate  of  from 
nine  to  ten  feet  of  coal,  equal  to  9,000,000  tons  of  coal  to  the  square  mile,  as 
the  product  of  these  two  seams,  from  the  central  and  northeastern  portions  of 
the  county  alone,  and  within  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  the  surface,  at  the 
general  level  of  the  prairie  region.  Coal  mining  is  yet  in  its  infancy  in  this 
most  highly  favored  region,  and  until  the  construction  of  the  two  railroads 


104  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

which  now  intersect  the  county,  the  demand  for  coal  was  too  limited  to  justify 
any  large  expenditures  in  coal  mining  operations.  Now,  an  extensive  market 
is  opened  on  the  Mississippi  river  for  the  coals  of  this  region,  and  the  cities  of 
Burlington  and  Keokuk,  in  Iowa,  and  Warsaw,  in  this  State,  will  soon  obtain 
their  main  supplies  of  coal  from  this  county. 

In  quality,  the  coals  to  be  obtained  here,  are  fully  equal  to  the  average  of 
our  Illinois  coals,  and  they  will  answer  all  the  purposes  for  which  coal  is  re- 
quired, except  for  the  smelting  of  iron  in  the  raw  state,  and  it  is  probable  that 
a  part  of  No.  6,  and  the  whole  of  No.  7,  if  it  could  be  found  thick  enough  to 
be  worked  successfully,  could  be  used  in  the  iron  furnace  without  coking.  No. 
6  is  generally  a  soft  coal,  with  a  tendency  to  break  into  cubic  blocks,  and  has 
afforded  the  following  result,  on  analysis,  by  Messrs.  Blaney  &  Mariner,  of  Chi- 
cago: 

Water 6.17 

Ash 1.91 

Bitumen r 29.82 

Carbon. .  ....  ..  62.10 


100.00 
Coke 64.01 

The  specimens  affording  the  above,  which  is  the  average  of  two  analyses,  was 
taken  from  Mr.  Piper's  mine,  two  miles  north  of  Canton.  An  analysis  of  spe- 
cimens from  John  Winterbottom's  mine,  two  miles  southeast  of  Cuba,  probably 
No.  4  coal,  gave  the  following  as  the  average  result  of  two  analyses : 

Water 5.18 

Ash 7.51 

Bitumen 30.06 

Carbon..                                                                                                                  ..  57.25 


100.00 
Coke 64.76 

An  analysis  of  No.  6,  from  Effnour's  mine,  near  Cuba,  gave,  as  the  average 
of  two  analyses,  the  following  : 

Water 5.94 

Ash 5.38 

Bitumen  30.80 

Carbon 57.85 


99.97 
Coke 63. 23 

These  analyses  of  the  two  most  important  coals  in  the  county,  will  serve  to 
indicate  the  average  quality  of  the  coals  of  this  region,  and  also  show  the  vari- 
ations that  may  occur  in  the  quality  of  the  coal  from  the  same  seam,  at  differ- 
ent localities,  as  evidenced  by  the  result  of  the  analyses  of  specimens  of  No.  6 
from  Effnour's  mine,  near  Cuba,  and  from  Piper's  mine,  near  Canton.  At 


FULTON  COUNTY, 


105 


the  former  locality,  the  coal  contains  a  much  larger  per  cent,  of  ash,  with  more 
bitumen  and  less  carbon  than  at  the  latter,  and  in  quality  it  seems  to  be  con- 
siderably below  the  average  of  the  coal  from  this  seam  at  other  localities  in  the 
county. 

The  following  analysis  of  coal  No.  2,  from  Colchester,  in  McDonough  county 
is  given  here  to  indicate  its  general  character  in  this  portion  of  the  State.  It 
is  taken  from  Norwood's  "Abstract  of  a  Report  on  Illinois  Coals,"  and  was 
made  by  the  late  Mr.  Henry  Pratten,  former  assistant  in  the  Illinois  Geological 
survey : 

Specific  gravity 1.290 

Loss  in  coking 4L2 

Total  weight  of  coke 58.8 

100.00 

Analysis  :     Moisture ' 5.4 

Volatile  matters 35.8 

Carbon  in  coke 66.8 

Ashes,  (white) 2.0 

100.00 

Carbon  in  coal 60.10 

Coal  No.  5,  as  has  already  been  stated  on  a  preceding  page,  is  rather  local  in 
its  development,  and  was  only  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  Cuba,  and  at  John  Wil- 
liams's  mine,  five  miles  and  a  half  northeast  of  Canton.  The  coal  afforded  by 
this  seam  is  more  like  that  from  No.  6,  being  softer  and  lighter  than  the  coal 
of  No.  4. 

The  lower  seams  are  generally  much  thinner  than  those  above,  and  usually 
range  from  two  to  four  feet  in  thickness,  but  afford  a  very  good  coal,  especially 
No.  2,  which,  in  its  average  quality,  is  probably  not  surpassed  by  any  coal  in 
the  State.  Nevertheless,  occurring  here  in  close  proximity  with  seams  much 
thicker,  and  more  favorably  situated  for  working  extensively,  it  will  only  be 
mined  along  the  outcrop  of  the  seam,  for  the  supply  of  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood, until  the  thicker  beds  overlying  it  are  partially  exhausted.  It  is  but 
seldom  that  No.  1  is  found  thick  enough  to  be  mined  profitably,  and  the  mines 
at  Seaville  are  the  only  ones  that  we  met  with  in  this  seam,  in  the  county.  No. 
3  has  been  opened  at  several  points,  but  the  mines  have  been  subsequently 
abandoned,  probably  because  it  could  not  be  successfully  worked  in  competition 
with  No.  4,  which  usually  outcrops  in  the  same  vicinity. 

Cannel  Coal. — A  thin  seam  of  cannel  coal  occurs  in  the  vicinity  of  Avon,  in 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  county,  and  before  the  discovery  of  the  vast  depo- 
sits of  oil  in  Pennsylvania,  was  mined  for  the  distillation  of  oil.  We  first  vis- 
ited the  locality  in  1859,  and  found  ten  retorts  in  operation  at  that  time,  the 
product  of  which  was  said  to  be  from  three  to  five  hundred  gallons  of  oil  per 
day.  The  seam  from  which  the  material  was  supplied,  was  only  from  fourteen 
to  twenty  inches  in  thickness,  and  the  cost  of  mining  at  that  time  was  about 
—14 


106  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

two  dollars  per  ton.  It  was  said  to  yield  about  thirty  gallons  of  oil  per  ton, 
but  the  subsequent  discovery  of  oil  in  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  put  a  stop  to  its 
manufacture  from  cannel  coal  in  this  region. 

Fire  Clay. — A  good  bed  of  fire  clay,  from  three  to  five  feet  in  thickness,  oc- 
curs below  the  cannel  coal  at  Avon,  and  was  worked  by  the  Avon  Coal  Com- 
pany, in  connection  with  the  coal,  and  they  were  thus  enabled  to  manufacture 
the  fire  brick  required  for  their  own  furnaces.  At  Andrews's  coal  bank,  two 
miles  and  a  half  north  of  Marietta,  there  is  from  two  to  three  feet  of  good  fire 
clay  below  the  coal,  and  at  many  other  localities  in  the  county,  especially  in 
connection  with  the  lower  coals,  clays  suitable  for  pottery  or  fire  brick  may  be 
obtained. 

Iron  Ore. — Iron  ore,  in  considerable  quantities,  was  met  with  at  several  lo- 
calities in  the  county.  In  the  vicinity  of  Seaville  there  is  a  bed  of  limonite, 
from  eight  to  twelve  inches  thick  immediately  above  the  limestone  that  forms 
the  roof  of  the  lower  coal.  This  ore  closely  resembles  that  at  Chadsey's  place, 
in  Schuyler  county,  an  analysis  of  which  is  given  in  the  report  on  that  county, 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  and  it  holds  about  the  same  stratigraphical  position. 
The  same  band  of  ore  was  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  Avon,  and  it  probably  extends 
over  a  large  area  in  the  county.  In  the  vicinity  of  Utica,  there  is  a  considera- 
ble amount  of  impure  carbonate  of  iron,  occurring  in  regular  layers  of  nodules, 
or  kidney  shaped  concretions,  disseminated  in  bands  through  a  bed  of  clay 
shale,  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  thickness.  The  bands  of  ore  are  from  two 
to  three  inches  thick,  and  are  separated  by  from  two  inches  to  a  foot  in  thick- 
ness of  shale,  and  the  aggregate  thickness  of  this  ore  at  this  locality,  would  be 
from  three  to  four  feet,  and  it  would  probably  yield  from  thirty-five  to  forty 
per  cent,  of  iron.  The  shale  in  which  this  ore  is  embedded,  is  probably  the 
shale  over  coal  No.  3,  and  if  so,  an  abundant  supply  of  coal  could  be  obtained 
on  the  spot,  either  from  that  seam,  or  No.  2,  which  lies  from  forty  to  fifty  feet 
below  it.  The  roof  shales  of  coals  Nos.  4  and  5,  abound  in  large  ferruginous 
concretions,  but  they  are  generally  too  strongly  charged  with  pyrites  to  be  of 
any  value  for  the  iron  furnace.  Iron  ore  is  almost  universally  disseminated 
through  the  Coal  Measures  in  this  State,  but  usually  in  too  small  quantities  to 
be  of  any  great  value  for  the  production  of  metallic  iron,  but  it  is  quite  proba- 
ble that  the  ores  of  this  county  may  at  some  future  time,  become  valuable  for 
this  purpose. 

Buildinfj  Stone. — The  Coal  Measures  seldom  afford  large  bodies  of  lime- 
stone of  sufficient  thickness,  and  of  the  right  quality  for  good  building 
stone,  and  this  material  has  to  be  mainly  supplied  from  the  sandstones,  which 
are  usually  the  prevailing  rock  in  the  coal  regions.  There  are  some  beds  of 
limestone,  however,  in  this  county,  that  furnish  a  suitable  material  for  rough 
walls,  though  the  supply  is  quite  limited.  The  limestone  that  immediately 


FULTON   COUNTY.  107 

overlies  coal  No.  6,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cuba  and  Canton,  as  well  as  at  several 
other  points  in  the  county,  affords  some  good  building  stone,  and  the  Farming- 
ton  limestone,  which  overlies  coal  No.  7,  also  affords  some  tolerably  good  rock, 
in  rather  thin  layers,  that  has  been  used  very  generally  in  the  vicinity  of  its 
outcrop,  and  answers  very  well  for  foundation  walls,  etc.  The  gray  con- 
cretionary limestone  of  the  St.  Louis  group,  which  is  found  in  the  bed  of 
Spoon  river  below  Seaville,  and  at  Bernadotte,  is  not  regularly  stratified,  and 
therefore  not  a  good  building  stone,  but  on  Barker's  run,  near  where  it  empties 
into  Spoon  river,  there  is  about  twelve  feet  of  brown  magnesian  limestone  in 
regular  beds,  underneath  the  gray  beds  of  this  group,  that  will  afford  the  most 
durable  stone  to  be  found  in  the  county. 

Sandstones  are  abundant,  and  easily  accessible  to  most  parts  of  the  county, 
and  when  carefully  selected  they  answer  a  good  purpose  for  foundation  walls, 
and  for  various  other  purposes.  In  the  vicinity  of  Seaville,  the  sandstone  both 
above  and  below  coal  No.  1,  is  found  in  heavy  beds,  and  seems  to  be  sufficiently 
coherent  to  form  a  durable  building  material.  The  stone  for  the  bridge  abut- 
ments and  culverts,  on  the  T.  P.  and  W.  railroad  in  this  vicinity,  has  been 
taken  from  these  beds,  and  although  sufficient  time  has  not  yet  elapsed  to  fully 
test  its  durability,  it  seems  to  be  a  reliable  stone  for  building  purposes.  In  the 
vicinity  of  Lewiston,  there  is  a  bed  of  sandstone  intervening  between  coals  2 
and  3  which  is  a  good  freestone,  and  has  been  extensively  quarried  and  used  as 
a  building  stone  in  the  city  and  vicinity.  It  is  not  altogether  uniform  in  its 
texture,  however,  and  requires  to  be  very  carefully  selected  where  it  is  to  be 
used  in  the  construction  of  permanent  buildings.  In  the  vicinity  of  Canton, 
a  very  good  bed  of  sandstone  is  found  below  coal  No.  6,  and  further  north 
there  is  also  a  heavy  bed  of  the  same  kind  of  rock  overlying  this  coal,  which 
was  seen  at  the  mines  on  Coal  creek,  two  miles  and  a-half  to  three  miles  north- 
east of  Fairview,  and  at  some  other  points.  Most  of  these  sandstones  are  more 
or  less  ferruginous,  the  iron,  in  the  form  of  a  brown  oxyd,  being  disseminated 
in  minute  grains  through  the  entire  substance  of  the  rock,  giving  it  a  tendency 
to  harden  on  exposure  to  atmospheric  influences,  thereby  improving  its  quality 
and  durability  as  a  building  material. 

Limestone  for  Lime. — The  gray  concretionary  beds  of  the  St.  Louis  group, 
which  outcrop  in  the  valley  of  Spoon  river,  from  Seaville  to  Bernadotte,  will 
afford  the  best  material  for  the  manufacture  of  quick  lime  to  be  found  in  the 
county.  This  rock  is  usually  a  nearly  pure  carbonate  of  lime,  and  the  beds  in 
the  vicinity  of  Alton,  which  also  belong  to  this  group,  afford  the  purest  and 
whitest  lime  made  in  the  State.  The  gray  beds,  which  are  the  only  ones  adapt- 
ed to  this  purpose,  are  only  from  eight  to  ten  feet  in  thickness  in  this  county, 
and  form  the  upper  portion  of  the  group,  on  which  the  conglomerate  sandstone 
of  the  Coal  Measures  rest. 


108  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  limestone  over  No.  6  coal  may  also  be  used  for  the  manufacture  of  quick 
lime,  but  at  some  localities  it  is  too  argillaceous,  and  when  burned  does  not 
slack  readily,  and  might  make  a  good  hydraulic  cement,  to  which  it  seems  best 
adapted.  The  limestone  above  No.  7  coal,  is  generally  a  purer  carbonate  of 
lime  than  any  other  of  the  Coal  Measure  limestones  in  this  county,  and  might 
be  extensively  used  in  the  vicinity  of  Farmington  for  lime  burning. 

Sand  and  Clay  for  Brick. — These  materials  are  abundant  on  all  the  uplands 
in  the  county.  On  the  bluff  lands,  adjacent  to  the  Illinois  river,  the  Loess 
affords  an  excellent  material  for  this  purpose,  in  which  the  ingredients  are 
often  mixed  in  just  the  right  proportions.  The  sub-soil  of  the  prairies,  and  of 
the  oak  ridges,  furnish  an  abundance  of  brown  clay,  which,  mingled  with  sand, 
that  is  abundant  in  the  beds  of  the  streams,  forms  a  good  material  for  this 
purpose.  These  materials  are  so  universally  distributed,  that  they  may  be 
readily  found  in  every  neighborhood,  and  on  almost  every  farm  in  the  county. 

Soil  and  Agriculture, — There  is  considerable  variety  in  the  soils  of  this 
county,  though  there  are  none  so  poor  that  they  will  not  produce  good  crops 
annually  of  most  of  the  cereals  usually  grown  in  this  region,  when  judiciously 
cultivated.  The  most  productive  soils  are  those  covering  the  prairie  lands,  and 
those  underlaid  by  the  Loess,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  river  bluffs.  The  latter 
were  originally  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  consisting  of  sugar- 
maple,  black  and  white  walnut,  linden,  elm,  hackberry,  wild  cherry,  honey- 
locust,  black  and  white  oak,  and  two  or  three  varieties  of  hickory.  This  is  the 
character  of  the  best  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  Lewiston,  and  over  a  considerable 
area  along  the  eastern  borders  of  the  county.  They  produce  quite  as  heavy 
crops  of  corn,  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  grass,  as  the  best  prairie  soil,  and  are 
much  better  adapted  to  the  growth  of  fruit,  especially  grapes  and  apples.  The 
peach  seems  to  grow  equally  well  on  the  prairie,  though  it  is  doubtful  whether 
the  trees  would  live  as  long,  or  produce  as  freely,  as  on  the  timbered  lands. 
The  prairie  lands  are  very  productive,  and  have  a  deep  chocolate  brown  or  black 
loamy  soil,  rich  in  organic  matters,  and  when  sufficiently  rolling,  produce 
annually  large  crops  of  corn  and  grass.  Wheat  is  a  far  more  uncertain  crop 
on  the  prairie  soil  than  on  lands  originally  covered  with  timber.  The  poorest 
lands  in  the  county  are  the  white  oak  ridges,  that  skirt  the  borders  of  the 
small  streams.  These  lands  have  a  thin  soil,  with  a  stiff  clay  sub-soil,  but  will 
produce  fair  crops  of  wheat,  oats  and  clover,  and  are  also  equal,  if  not  superior, 
to  the  prairie  lands  for  the  growth  of  fruit.  They  require  a  more  generous 
treatment,  and  are  greatly  benefited  by  occasional  fallowing,  and  plowing  under 
green  crops. 

For  the  following  complete  list  of  the  forest  trees  and  shrubs  indigenous  to 
this  county,  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  John  Wolf,  of  Canton,  whose  quiet  and  un- 
obtrusive labors  in  botany,  geology,  and  conchology,  have  resulted  in  import- 


FULTON    COUNTY. 


109 


ant  additions  to  our  knowledge  in  these  departments  of  Natural  History.  The 
State  collection  is  also  indebted  to  him  for  a  fine  series  of  the  fossils  of  the 
Coal  Measures  in  this  vicinity,  and  I  am  also  under  personal  obligations  to  him 
for  much  valuable  information  in  regard  to  the  most  important  localities  to  be 
visited  in  this  county.  To  Mr.  David  Williams  and  family,  of  Canton,  I  am 
personally  indebted  for  the  generous  hospitality  extended  to  me  while  engaged 
in  the  survey  of  this  county,  and  for  valuable  information  and  assistance  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  field  work  of  the  survey.  I  am  also  under  obligations  to 
Mr.  Harris,  near  Seaville,  for  hospitable  entertainment,  while  at  work  in  that 
vicinity,  and  to  the  citizens  generally  for  acts  of  personal  kindness,  and  assur- 
ances of  interest  in  the  general  results  of  the  work  in  which  I  was  engaged: 

LIST  OF  THE  TREES  AND  SHRUBS  FOUND  IN  FULTON  COUNTY. 


Acer  dasycarpum,  Ehr.     Sugar  maple. 

A.  sacharinum,  Wang.     White,  or  silver  ma- 
ple. 

jEsculus  glabra  Willd.     Buckeye. 

Amelanchier    Canadensis,    T.  <&   G.     Service 
berry. 

Amorphafrulicosa  L.     False  indigo. 

Ampelopsis    quinquifolia,    Mich.        Virginia 
creeper. 

Eetula  nigra  L.     Red  birch. 

Carjrimis  Americanus,  Mich.    American  horn- 
beam. 

Car.ua  alba,  Nutt.     Shell-bark  hickory. 

C.  atitara,  Nutt.     Swamp  hickory. 

G'.  olivceformis,  Null.     Pecan  nut. 

C.  tomentosa,  Nutt.     Mocker  nut. 

C.  sulcaia,  Null.     Thick  shell-bark. 

Ceanothus  Americanus,  L.     New  Jersey  tea. 

Celastnis  scandens,  L.     Bitter  sweet. 

CeJtls  occidetilalix,  L.     Hackberry. 

Cophalanthus  occidentalis,  L.     Button  bush. 

Cercis  Cfanadensif,  L.     Red  bud. 

Cor  mis  alteniifolia,  L.     Alternate  leaved  cor- 
nel. 

C.  paniculata,  L'Her.     Panicled  cornel. 

C.  sericea,  L.     Silky  cornel. 

G.  asperifolia,  Mich.     Rough  leaved  dogwood. 

Corylm  Americanus,  Walt.     Hazel  nut. 

Crattegus  coccinea,  L.     Red  thorn. 

C.  crus-gallii,  L.     Cock  spur  thorn. 
C.  tomentina,  L.     Black  thorn, 
var.  a.  L\  mol/is,  T.  &  Gray. 
"    b.  C.  fabellatn,  Bosc. 
"    c.    C.  pyrifulia,  Ait. 
"    d.  C.  punctata,  Jacq. 


Diospyros  Virginianm,  L.     Persimmon. 

Ewmymus  Americanus,  Jacq.     Waahoo. 

Fraximts  Americanus,  L.     White  ash. 

F.  viridis,  Mich.     Green  ash. 

F.  pubescens,  Lam.     Red  ash. 

F.  quadrangulatus,  Mich.     Blue  ash. 

F.  sambucifolins,  Lam.     Black  ash. 

Gleditxchia  triacanthus,  L.     Honey  locust. 

Gymnocladus  Uanadensis,  Lam.     Coffee  nut. 

Hydrangea  arborexcens,  L.     Wild  hydrangea. 

Jiiglans  nigra,  L.     Black  walnut. 

J.  cinerea,  L.     White  walnut,  or  butternut. 

Junipcnis  Virginiana,  L.     Red  cedar. 

Lonicera  parvi folia,  Lam.  Small  honey- 
suckle. 

Morus  rubra,  L.     Red  mulberry. 

Negundo  accroides,  Mcench.     Box  elder. 

Ostrya  Virginica,  Willtf.  American  horn- 
beam. 

Ilatamts  occidentalis,  L.     Sycamore.  . 

Populm  tremuloides,  Mich.     American  aspen. 

P.  granditentata,  Mich.     Large  toothed  aspen. 

P.  monilife.'a,  Ait.     Cottonwood. 

Prunus  Americanus,  Marsh.     Wild  plum. 

P.  Virginiana,  L.     Choke  cherry. 

P.  serotina,  Ehr.     Wild  black  cherry. 

Ptelea  trifoliata,  L.     Hop  tree. 

Pyrus  coronaria,  L.     Crab  apple. 

Quercus  alba,  L.     White  oak. 

Q.  Lcana,  Nutt.     Lea's  oak. 

Q.  coccinea,  Wang.     Scarlet  oak. 

Q.  castaria,   Willd.     Chestnut  oak. 

Q.  imbricaria,  Mich.     Laurel  oak. 

Q.  rubra,  L.     Red  oak. 

Q.  pahtstris,  DwRoi.     Pin  oak. 


110 


GEOLOGY   OF    ILLINOIS. 


LIST  OF  THE  TREKS  AND  SHRUBS  FOUND  IN  FULTON  COUNTY — Continued. 


Q.  bicolor,  Willd.     Swamp  white  oak. 

Q.  macrocarpa,  Mich,   and  var.    olivctformu, 

Mich.     Bur  oak. 

Rhainnus  lanceolatus,  Pursh.     Buck  thorn. 
Shun  fflabra,  L.     Smooth  sumac. 
R.  aromatica,  Ait.     Fragrant  surnac. 
R.  radicans,  L.     Poison  ivy. 
Ribes  floridium,  L.     Wild  black  currant. 
R.  rotundifolium,  Mich.     Wild  gooseberry. 
Rosa  sctigera,  Mich.     Prairie  rose. 
R.  lutida,  Ehr.     Dwarf  wild  rose. 
Rubus  villosus,  A  it.     Blackberry. 
R.  occidcntalis,  L.     Black  raspberry. 
Sambucus  Canadensis,  L.     Common  elder. 
Sassafras  officinalis,  Nees.     Sassafras. 


Similax  rotundifolia,  L.     Green  briar. 
Staphylea  trifolia,  L.     American  bladder  nut. 
TiUia  Americana,  L.     Bass  wood  or  linden. 
Salix  tristis,  Ait.     Dwarf  gray  willow. 
S.  humilis,  Marshall.     Bush  willow. 
8.  ni.gra,  Marshall.     Black- willow. 
S.  longifolia,  Miihl.     Long  leaved  willow. 
S.  cordala,  Muhl.     Heart  leaved  -willow. 
5.  anguslata,  Pursh.     Narrow  leaved  willow. 
S.  eriocephala,  Mich.     Silky  headed  willow. 
Ulmus  Americanus,  L.     American  elm. 
U.  fulva,  Mich.     Slippery  or  red  elm. 
Viburnum  Lentavo,  L.     Sheep  berry. 
Zanthoxylum  Amcricanum,    Mill.      Northern 
prickly  ash. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

DEKALB,  KANE  AND  DUPAGE  COUNTIES. 

These  three  counties,  the  description  of  which  is  included  in  the  present 
chapter,  are  situated  contiguously  to  each  other,  in  the  northeastern  portion  of 
the  State,  and  together  comprise  a  rather  irregularly  shaped  area  of  about  fif- 
teen hundred  square  miles.  Their  respective  boundaries  and  areas  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

DeKalb  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Boone  and  McHenry  counties, 
on  the  east  by  Kane  and  Kendall  counties,  on  the  south  by  LaSalle  county,  and 
on  the  west  by  Lee  and  Ogle  counties.  It  comprises  an  area  of  eighteen  town- 
ships, or  about  six  hundred  and  forty  square  miles.  The  remaining  boundaries 
of  Kane  county  are,  McHenry  county  on  the  north,  Cook  and  DuPage  coun- 
ties on  the  east,  and  Kendall  county  on  the  south.  Of  DuPage,  Cook  county 
on  the  north  and  east,  and  Will  county  on  the  south.  The  areas  of  these  two 
counties  are,  respectively,  about  five  hundred  and  twenty-eight  and  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty  square  miles. 

The  principal  water  courses  in  this  territory  are,  first :  the  Fox  river,  which 
traverses  the  whole  length  of  Kane  county,  near  its  eastern  border ;  the  Kish- 
waukee  or  Sycamore  river,  which,  rising  in  the  western  part  of  Kane,  runs 
through  the  northern  portion  of  DeKalb  county,  and  the  DuPage.  which, 
with  its  two  forks,  drains  nearly  the  whole  of  DuPage  county.  These,  with 
their  tributaries,  and  a  few  minor  streams,  furnish  an  abundant  supply  of 
water  in  all  parts  of  this  district.  Springs  are  not  generally  numerous,  except- 
ing in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  water  courses. 

The  predominating  character  of  the  surface  of  the  country,  in  this  district, 
is  that  of  an  upland  rolling  prairie,  with,  however,  numerous  groves,  or  timber 
islands,  and  extensive  wooded  tracts  along  the  principal  streams.  The  propor- 
tion of  wooded  land  to  prairie  may  perhaps  be  as  small  as  one  to  three  or  four, 
but  the  checking  of  the  prairie  fires  which  formerly  swept  over  this  region, 
and  the  greater  attention  which  has  of  late  years  been  given  to  arboriculture, 
have  probably  made  up  for  the  deficit  caused  by  the  cutting  down  of  the  tim- 
ber for  fuel  and  other  purposes,  and  it  may  perhaps  be  safely  said  that  the 
amount  of  surface  actually  occupied  by  growing  woods,  excepting  in  a  few  locali- 


112  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

ties  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  railroads,  is  not  less  at  the  present  time  than 
in  the  period  of  the  early  settlement  of  this  region.  The  principal  kinds  of  tim- 
ber are,  black,  white,  red  and  bur  oaks,  bitternut  and  shell-bark  hickory,  black- 
walnut,  butternut,  elm,  black  and  white  ash,  soft  maple,  sugar  maple,  and  cot- 
tonwood.  The  red  cedar  andaarbor  vitse  are  also  found  in  a  few  localities  in 
this  district.  The  varieties  of  soil  are  altogether  the  same  as  have  been  des- 
cribed in  the  reports  on  the  adjoining  counties — on  the  prairie  a  deep,  black  or 
dark  brown  humus,  and  in  the  timber  a  lighter  colored,  sandy  clay  soil  or  loam. 
In  a  few  localities  the  sandy  or  gravelly  character  of  the  soil  is  more  predomi- 
nant, as  in  township  42,  ranges  6  and  7,  in  the  northern  part  of  Kane  county, 
where  some  of  the  ridges  or  irregular  elevations  of  land,  separating  small  wet 
prairies  or  sloughs,  are  quite  sandy.  These  low  prairies  are  found,  of  incon- 
siderable area,  in  various  portions  of  the  district,  but  are  more  abundant  in  this 
particular  region.  Along  some  of  the  principal  streams,  and  especially  the  Fox 
river,  in  Kane  county,  the  country  is  more  roughly  broken,  and  can  in  some 
parts  even  be  called  hilly,  although  the  more  abrupt  elevations  seldom  exceed 
eighty  or  one  hundred  feet  above  their  immediate  base. 

The  geological  formations,  otherthan  the  surface  deposits  of  Alluvium,  Drift, 
etc.,  which  appear  at  the  surface  in  this  district,  comprise  portions  of  the  Niag- 
ara, Cincinnati,  and  Trenton  groups.  The  St.  Peters  sandstone,  also,  judging 
from  facts  developed  in  the  survey  of  LaSalle  county,  probably  underlies  a  por- 
tion of  the  southern  part  of  DeKalb  county,  but  as  the  whole  of  that  region  is 
covered  with  heavy  accumulations  of  Drift,  no  exposures  of  this  formation  are 
to  be  found.  The  exposures  of  the  older  rocks  are  found  only  along  the 
courses  of  the  larger  streams,  and  at  one  or  two  isolated  localities  in  DuPage 
county,  on  the  easternmost  borders  of  the  district.  Elsewhere  they  are  overlaid 
with  heavy  deposits  of  Drift,  varying  from  twenty  to  eighty  or  one  hundred 
feet  in  thickness,  and  in  some  localities  even  more. 

Above  the  Drift  proper,  we  have  only  the  surface  soils  and  a  few  local  allu- 
vial deposits  in  the  river  bottoms,  etc.  Some  of  the  springs  along  the  upper 
course  of  the  Fox  river,  in  Kane  county,  issuing  from  the  lower  limestone  bed 
of  the  Niagara  group,  hold  much  lime  in  solution,  and  deposit  calcareous  tufa. 
A  considerable  deposit  of  this  material  occurs  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river, 
about  three  miles  north  of  the  city  of  Elgin,  and  close  to  the  track  of  the  Fox 
River  Valley  railroad.  This  deposit  was  formerly  quarried  for  the  manufacture 
of  lime,  and  is  exposed  in  the  excavations  to  the  depth  of  about  four  feet.  It 
appears  to  be  regularly  bedded,  and  varies  in  structure  from  a  loosely  compact- 
ed, porous  material,  resembling  petrified  moss,  and  full  of  traces  of  vegetable 
remains,  to  a  compact  travertin,  almost  resembling  in  density  some  of  the  older 
rocks.  The  whole  extent  of  this  deposit  is  not  to  be  seen,  as  it  is  covered  by 


DEKALB,  KANE  AND  DUPAGE  COUNTIES.  113 

from  one  to  four  feet  of  soil  bearing  large  forest  trees.     It  is  exposed,  however, 
for  a  distance  of  several  rods  in  the  ditches  alongside  of  the  railroad  track. 

The  remains  of  extinct  Post  Tertiary  mammals  have  heen  found  in  the 
superficial  deposits  in  one  or  two  localities  in  this  district.  A  portion  of  the 
remains  of  a  Mastodon,  consisting  of  the  tusks  and  several  teeth,  were  obtained 
in  excavating  for  the  track  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  railroad 
near  the  City  of  Aurora,  and  are  now  preserved  in  the  museum  of  Clark  Semi- 
nary, at  that  place.  The  skull,  and  it  is  said  the  other  parts  of  the  skeleton, 
also,  of  Castoroides  Ohioensis,  were  found  by  a  farmer  in  a  slough  not  far  from 
the  town  of  Naperville,  DuPage  county.  The  skull  was  obtained  by  Col.  Wood's 
museum,  in  Chicago,  where  I  believe  it  still  remains. 

The  deposits  of  the  Drift,  in  this  district,  consist  of  loam  and  blue  clays, 
and  hard-pan,  with  here  and  there,  amid  the  mass,  seams  and  pockets  of  sand 
and  gravel.  Boulders  of  granite,  quartzite,  greenstone,  and  various  other 
rocks,  are  abundant  in  varions  localities  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  are 
frequently  met  with  in  excavations  for  wells,  etc.,  and  large  deposits  of  rolled 
boulders,  chiefly  of  limestone  from  the  underlying  Niagara  beds,  similar  to 
those  already  described  in  the  report  on  Cook  county,  occur  in  the  Drift  de- 
posits of  the  adjoining  portions  of  Kane  and  DuPage  counties.  These  may 
be  well  observed  in  the  vicinity  of  Elgin,  and,  in  DuPage  county,  near  Danby 
and  Bloomingdale.  Sections  of  the  bluffs  in  various  places  along  Fox  river, 
show  that  the  materials  of  the  Drift  have  been  rearranged,  and  present  a  strati- 
fied appearance.  The  limestone  boulder  deposits  may,  perhaps,  be  referred  to 
this  modified  Drift. 

Pieces  of  wood,  and  occasionally  large  trunks  and  branches  of  trees,  have 
been  found  at  considerable  intervals  in  the  Drift,  and  such  cases  are  reported 
in  various  parts  of  this  district.  At  Sycamore,  in  DeKalb  county,  large  pieces 
of  wood  were  said  to  have  been  met  with,  in  the  blue  clays  of  this  formation, 
at  the  depth  of  fifty  feet,  in  digging  a  well,  and  other  instances  were  mentioned, 
though  no  particulars  were  given. 

It  is  not  easy  to  estimate  the  thickness  of  these  deposits  in  all  parts  of  this 
district,  as  it  is  very  seldom  penetrated  by  wells  or  any  artificial  excavations; 
nor  is  there  generally  in  any  such  works  any  record  kept  of  the  materials, 
which  would  also  be  very  desirable  in  the  study  of  this  formation.  The 
bluffs  along  Fox  river,  however,  furnish  partial  data  for  a  portion  of  the  dis- 
trict, and,  judging  by  these,  the  Drift  will  average  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
feet  in  thickness,  above  the  uppermost  bed  of  rock.  Away  from  the  river,  on 
either  side,  the  thickness  is  most  probably  not  less,  and  may  be  even  more. 
At  Sycamore,  a  well  is  said  to  have  reached,  by  digging  and  boring,  a  depth  of 
(?)  feet,  without  penetrating  the  blue  clays  and  hard-pan  of  this  for- 
mation. 

—15 


114  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  artesian  well  bored  by  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  railroad 
company,  at  their  work-shops,  in  the  City  of  Aurora,  affords  a  means  of  ascer- 
taining the  thickness  of  the  older  geological  formations  at  that  point.  In  this 
boring,  after  passing  through  thirty,  or  more,  feet  of  the  alluvial  surface  de- 
posits of  the  river  valley,  the  section  afforded  is  as  follows : 

FEET. 

1.  Alternating  beds  of  grayish  white  and  gray  limestone,  sixty-eight  feet,  followed  by 

forty  feet  of  buff  or  brown  limestone,  Niagara  group 108 

2.  Sixty-four  feet  of  light  grayish  limestone,  underlaid  by  one  hundred  and  one  feet  of 

shale  and  shaly  beds,  the  middle  portion  dark  colored  and  bituminous,  Cincinnati 
group 165 

3.  Gray,  buff,  and  nearly  white  limestone,  Galena  and  Trenton 232 

4.  Buff  and  reddish  yellow  sandstones,  St.  Peters 158 

A  comparison  between  the  record  of  this  boring  and  the  Chicago  section, 
given  in  the  report  on  Cook  county,  will  show  a  very  considerable  diminution 
in  the  thickness  of  the  different  formations  above  the  St.  Peters  sandstone. 
In  the  Chicago  section,  the  total  vertical  thickness  of  all  the  strata  between  the 
base  of  the  Niagara  and  the  top  of  the  St.  Peters  sandstone,  is  six  hundred  and 
thirty  feet,  which  is  here  decreased  to  three  hundred  and  ninety-seven  feet,  a 
very  noticeable  difference.  As,  however,  none  of  the  beds  below  the  upper 
portion  of  the  Galena  limestone  are  represented  in  .the  surface  exposures  within 
the  limits  of  this  district,  the  remainder  of  this  section  only  is  of  general 
interest. 

Niagara  Group. — This  formation,  underlies  the  whole  eastern  portion  of  the 
district,  including  the  whole  of  DuPage  county,  and  the  greater  part,  if  not 
all  of  Kane  county.  Its  western  border  cannot  be  located  with  any  certainty. 
It  seems  quite  probable,  indeed,  that  it  extends  westward  through  the  central 
portion  of  DeKalb  county,  but,  from  the  want  of  outcrops,  this  point  cannot 
be  determined. 

The  lower  part  of  this  group,  which  alone  is  exposed  in  this  district,  consists 
of  gray,  buff  and  sometimes  nearly  white,  limestones,  in  some  cases  dolomitic 
in  composition,  and  in  others  nearly  pure,  and  affording  a  good  material  for  the 
manufacture  of  quick  lime.  The  beds  also  contain  much  chert,  unequally  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  strata,  in  thin  seams  and  lenticular  masses.  A  large 
portion  of  the  rock,  however,  is  quite  free  from  this  material,  and  answers 
excellently  well  as  building  stone.  Its  aggregate  thickness  in  this  district  can- 
not be  easily  ascertained.  In  Kane  county,  the  section  before  given  probably 
includes  all  the  beds  exposed,  but  to  the  eastward  the  outcrops  are  not  so  easily 
identified  with  it.  At  the  utmost,  however,  it  will  probably  not  exceed  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  if,  indeed,  it  approaches  that  thickness.  The  principal 
outcrops  are  as  follows : 


DEKALB,  KANE  AND  DUPAGE  COUNTIES.  115 

In  the  eastern  portion  of  DuPage  county,  on  the  northwestern  quarter  of 
section  2,  township  39,  range  11,  about  half  a  mile  west  of  the  railway  station 
at  Cottage  Hill,  a  light  gray  or  nearly  white  sub-crystalline  limestone  is  quar- 
ried. The  rock  is  concretionary  in  its  structure,  showing  bedding  very  imper- 
fectly, and  though  very  full  of  traces  of  organisms,  affords  but  very  few  well 
preserved  fossils.  The  whole  depth  of  the  quarry  is  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  but 
at  the  time  of  my  visit  only  about  ten  feet  of  the  upper  portion  was  exposed 
the  bottom  of  the  quarry  being  filled  with  water.  Directly  east  of  this  point, 
in  the  village  of  Cottage  Hill,  rock  is  said  to  have  been  struck  in  a  well  at  a 
depth  of  twelve  feet.  The  rock  exposed  in  this  quarry  is  not  seen  in  any  of 
the  other  outcrops  in  this  district  so  as  to  be  identified  by  its  lithological  char- 
acters. It  seems  possible,  indeed,  that  this  may  be  the  uppermost  bed  of  the 
Niagara  group  within  these  limits. 

Passing  to  the  southward  about  three  miles,  we  find  the  nearest  outcrop  oc- 
curring on  the  western  bank  of  Salt  creek,  in  the  southwestern  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 14,  on  the  land  of  Mr:  Torode.  About  nine  feet  in  thickness  of  thin  bed- 
ded limestone  is  here  exposed,  the  upper  two  or  three  feet,  porous  and  yellow, 
the  remainder,  a  rather  even  textured  stone,  light  drab  or  gray  in  color,  and 
containing  numerous  nodules  of  chert.  The  beds  appear  to  increase  in  thick- 
ness, the  deeper  the  rock  is- worked.  There  is  in  this  quarry  a  slight,  in  some 
places  almost  imperceptible,  local  dip  to  the  northward.  The  upper  portion  of 
the  rock  exposed  at  this  place,  is  fossiliferous,  affording  various  corals,  crinoids, 
bryozoa,  and  brachiopoda,  but  generally  ill  preserved,  and  often  indistinguish- 
able as  to  species. 

Further  to  the  southward,  no  exposures  are  met  with,  until  the  vicinity  of 
the  DesPlaines  river  is  reached,  where  we  find  the  bottom  land  opposite  Le- 
mont,  underlaid  by  limestone  beds.  The  rock  also  appears  to  a  limited  extent, 
near  the  base  of  the  bluffs,  on  the  northwestern  edge  of  the  river  bottom,  but 
no  good  exposures  are  met  with  on  this  side  of  the  river.  On  the  flats,  it  is 
generally  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  surface  soil,  and  wherever  it  does  appear 
at  the  surface,  is  so  changed  by  weathering  as  to  make  an  almost  complete 
alteration  in  its  appearance.  It  seems  probable,  however,  the  beds  at  a  suffi- 
cient depth  under  the  surface,  may  afford  a  good  building  material. 

To  the  northwestward  of  this,  the  only  remaining  outcrops  of  rock  in  DuPage 
county,  are  met  with  on  the  western  fork  of  the  DuPage  river,  at  Naperville 
and  below.  At  Naperville,  in  the  quarries  on  the  southwestern  bank  of  the 
creek,  just  below  the  milldam,  there  is  a  section,  consisting  at  the  base,  of  an 
even  textured,  regularly  bedded,  light  drab  or  buff  limestone,  about  six  feet  of 
which  is  exposed  in  the  excavation.  Nodules  of  chert,  of  irregular  flattened 
forms,  are  quite  frequent  in  the  upper  part  of  this  bed,  but  less  abundant  be- 
low, where  the  layers  also  appear  to  be  thicker  and  more  adapted  for  a  building 


116  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

stone.  This  bed  is  overlaid  by  about  nine  feet,  in  vertical  thickness,  of  a 
thin  bedded,  yellowish,  or  dark  buff  limestone,  showing  a  light  gray  color, 
on  freshly  fractured  surfaces,  and  closely  resembling  the  upper  portion  of  the 
rock  at  Torode's  quarry,  on  Salt  creek.  The  upper  beds  in  these  quar- 
ries afforded  specimens  of  Atrypa  reticularis,  Strophomena  rhomboidalis,  Or- 
this  flabellum,  Leptsena  transversalis,  Spirifera  radiata,  S.  Niagarensis,  Or- 
thoceras  undulatum,  Calymene  BlumenbacMi,  and  species  of  Illsenus  and  Sphae- 
rexochus,  together  with  many  corals  and  bryozoa.  The  lower  beds  were  alto- 
gether less  abundant  in  individuals  j  the  species  were  mainly  the  same.  In 
many  cases,  the  fossils  were  merely  casts,  but  some  were  nearly  perfect. 

Going  from  Naperville,  in  a  southeasterly  direction  along  the  western  bank 
of  the  creek,  we  find,  at  a  distance  from  the  town  of  a  mile  or  a  mile  and  a 
half,  limestone,  apparently  the  same  as  the  upper  beds  at  Naperville,  occurring 
in  the  bottom  of  ditches  and  small  runs,  and  alongside  of  the  road.  Still  far- 
ther on,  at  Kimball's  mill,  a  thickness  of  eight  or  nine  feet,  probably  of  the 
lower  bed,  is  shown  at  the  western  end  of  the  milldam,  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  stream.  On  the  opposite  bank,  about  two  hundred  yards  above  the  dam, 
on  the  southeastern  quarter  of  section  19,  township  38,  range  8,  the  upper  beds 
are  well  exposed,  and  have  been  quarried.  Here,  they  yield  in  abundance, 
the  same  species  of  fossils  as  at  Naperville,  and  in  the  same  condition.  Below 
Kimball's  mill,  the  lower  beds  of  buff  limestone  appear  along  the  western  bank 
of  the  creek  for  a  short  distance,  and  have  been  quarried  at  one  or  two  points. 
It  disappears  entirely,  however,  under  the  Drift,  before  reaching  the  county 
line. 

In  Kane  county,  all  of  the  exposures  of  rock,  with  one  exception  only,  are 
along  Fox  river.  Along  this  line  of  outcrop,  the  greatest  development  of  the 
formation  is  at  Aurora  and  Batavia,  and  between  these  two  points.  Both  above 
and  below  this  particular  portion  of  the  river,  a  lesser  thickness  of  the  forma- 
tion is  exposed.  Commencing  at  the  southern  limit  of  the  county,  and  going 
up  the  river,  the  following  are  the  principal  exposures  met  with  : 

At  the  village  of  Montgomery,  and  almost  exactly  on  the  southern  line  of  the 
county,  there  is  an  exposure  of  about  eight  or  nine  feet  of  thin  bedded  buff  lime- 
stone, abounding  in  thin  seams  and  flattened  nodules  of  chert,  which  appears 
much  broken  up  and  decomposed  on  the  exposed  surfaces.  No  good  speci- 
mens of  fossils  were  obtained  at  this  point,  and  only  a  few  unrecognizable  frag- 
ments were  observed.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  at  the  eastern  ex- 
tremity of  the  milldam,  rock  was  again  observed,  similar  in  lithological  char- 
acter to  that  at  the  first  mentioned  outcrop,  only  that  it  was  harder,  less  de- 
composed, and  more  free  from  chert.  A  slight  dip,  one  or  two  degrees,  to  the 
northeast  or  a  little  more  north,  was  observed  at  these  exposures,  which  would 
apparently  bring  the  one  last  described  above  the  other.  The  whole  thickness, 


DEKALB,    KANE   AND   DUPAGE    COUNTIES.  117 

however,  including  both  exposures,  and  such  intermediate  beds  as  may  be  con- 
cealed by  surface  deposits,  cannot  well  exceed  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet. 

Continuing  up  stream,  no  outcrops  or  exposures  of  rock  in  place,  are  met 
with,  until  entering  the  city  of  Aurora.  Here,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  city, 
on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river,  at  Hoyt's  quarry,  about  forty  feet  of  the 
limestone  is  exposed.  Of  this,  the  upper  nineteen  or  twenty  feet  is  a  rather 
thin  bedded  buff  limestone,  with  chert  very  abundant  in  layers  and  lenticular 
nodules.  The  remainder  of  the  excavation,  below  this,  is  in  a  regularly  bedded 
impure  limestone,  varying  in  color  from  light  gray  to  buff  or  drab,  and  closely 
resembling  in  appearance  portions  of  the  well  known  Joliet  stone.  The  dip  in 
this  quarry  is  to  the  northeast,  and  amounts  to  from  one  to  four  degrees.  The 
line  of  separation  between  the  upper  and  lower  beds  is  quite  distinct  in  this 
section.  In  the  upper  beds,  a  few  indistinct  fossils  were  observed :  Atrypa 
reticulariSj  and  Orthoceras  undulatum,  were  the  only  species  recognized.  The 
lower  portion  of  the  quarry,  on  the  other  hand,  appeared  to  be  entirely  desti- 
tute of  fossils,  but  abounded  in  small  geodes,  containing  crystallized  quartz. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  the  limestone  again  appears  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  river,  at  first,  only  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  but  gradually  appear- 
ing higher  on  the  bank,  further  up  the  stream.  It  also  underlies  the  surface 
farther  up  the  bluffs,  but  how  hi<rh  cannot  be  exactly  ascertained,  as  it  is  mostly 
covered  with  soil.  Nearly  a  mile  above  the  city,  there  are  several  quarries  on 
the  side  of  the  bluffs,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  river,  which  show  vertical 
cliffs  of  limestone  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet,  or  higher.  The 
stone  in  these  quarries  is  an  impure  limestone,  in  some  layers  approaching  a 
true  dolomite  in  composition,  of  a  decidedly  buff  or  yellow  color.  Some  of  the 
beds,  in  some  localities,  are  deeply  stained  with  oxyd  of  iron,  and  present  a 
dark,  reddish  brown  color.  There  was  here,  apparently,  a  slight  local  dip  to 
the  westward,  which,  however,  was  not  very  noticeable.  There  may  be,  possi- 
bly, a  slight  undulation  of  the  strata,  or  anticlinal,  having  a  strike  about  north- 
west and  southeast,  but  at  all  events,  it  is  very  inconsiderable,  and  does  not 
affect  the  general  disposition  of  the  strata  in  this  region.  I  have  considered 
the  rock  exposed  in  these  quarries,  and  along  the  river  bank,  as  below  the 
cherty  beds  of  Hoyt's  quarry,  and,  perhaps  the  equivalent  of  the  strata  imme- 
diately below  them,  though  not  exactly  agreeing  in  lithological  characters.  I 
have,  however,  no  positive  proof  of  this.  But  few  fossils  are  to  be  found  at 
these  localities ;  the  only  specimens  obtained  were  two  or  three  imperfect  Caly- 
mene  Blumenbachii,  and  the  pygidium  of  an  Illsens. 

To  the  north  of  these  quarries,  along  the  western  bank  of  the  river,  and, 
though  to  a  somewhat  less  extent,  on  the  eastern  bank  also,  ledges  of  rock  are 
seen  almost  continuously,  near  the  water's  edge,  for  some  seven  miles,  as  far  as 
the  town  of  Batavia.  In  most  cases  only  a  very  limited  thickness  of  the  weath- 


118  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

ered  edges  of  the  strata  are  to  be  seen ;  at  none  of  the  intermediate  points  is 
there  to  be  seen  a  good  section,  where  either  of  the  beds  observed  in  the  south- 
ern exposure  at  Aurora,  can  be  recognized.  The  strata  generally  lie  nearly 
level,  though  there  are,  in  some  places,  appearances  of  local  dipping,  which  may 
perhaps  be  sometimes  due  to  the  undermining  and  consequent  tumbling  of  large 
masses  of  the  rock.  About  two  miles  and  a-half  north  of  Aurora,  a  cherty 
band  may  be  traced  in  the  rock  for  a  short  distance,  and  then  disappears.  It,  or 
another  similar  one,  again  appears  at  the  base  of  the  bluff  near  the  mouth  of 
Mill  creek,  about  a  mile  and  a-half  below  Batavia.  For  nearly  half  a  mile,  the 
limestone  appears  on  the  banks  of  the  creek  also.  It  is  here  a  brittle,  yellow 
limestone,  thin  bedded,  and  quite  fossiliferous  in  places.  One  of  the  best  expo- 
sures of  this  rock  is  on  Mr.  Stevens'  place,  at  the  old  milldam,  a  few  rods  above 
the  crossing  of  the  wagon  road  from  Aurora  to  Batavia.  Here  some  layers  are 
almost  entirely  made  up  of  casts  of  Pentamerus  oblongus,  with  very  rarely  a  co- 
ral or  other  fossils. 

Between  this  point  and  Batavia,  although  the  ledges  still  continue  along  the 
base  of  the  bluffs,  there  is  but  one  exposure  of  more  than  a  very  few  feet ;  a 
disused  quarry,  about  a  mile  south  of  the  latter  place,  which  shows  a  perpen- 
dicular cliff  of  about  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet,  all  apparently  of  one  bed  of 
yellow  or  buff  limestone.  No  fossils  were  afforded  by  this  locality. 

At  Batavia,  in  the  quarries  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  the  beds  are  precisely 
similar  to  and  probably  identical  with  those  worked  at  Hoyt's  quarry  in  Aurora. 
In  Mr.  Barker's  quarry,  on  the  western  side  of  the  river,  there  is  about  twenty- 
five  feet  of  buff  and  drab  limestone,  overlaid  by  eight  feet  of  the  upper  cherty 
layers  ;  the  line  of  division  between  the  two  is  very  distinct.  -This  upper 
cherty  portion  of  the  rock  appears  in  the  exposure  to  be  much  shattered,  but  is 
consolidated  again  by  a  stalagmitic  cement.  It  is  altogether  worthless  as  a 
quarry  rock,  and  is  very  troublesome  to  remove.  Throughout  the  greater  part 
of  the  quarry,  the  strata  lie  horizontally,  but  at  its  northern  end  there  is  a  sud- 
den dip  to  the  southward  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  degrees,  bringing  the  lower  beds 
to  the  level  of  the  top  of  the  quarry.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  the 
same  dip  is  to  be  seen  in  Shannon's  quarry,  exactly  where  the  strike  would  lead 
us  to  look  for  it.  In  the  three  principal  quarries  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
river,  those  of  Messrs.  Starkey,  Shannon  and  Randall,  respectively,  the  same 
lower  beds  are  shown  as  at  the  one  already  mentioned  on  the  western  bank,  but 
at  Shannon's  quarries  only,  are  the  upper  cherty  beds  exposed.  Near  the  bot- 
tom of  this  quarry  there  is  also  a  thin  stratum  of  bluish  shaly  limestone,  and 
a  seam,  two  or  three  inches  thick,  of  sandstone,  which  is  probably  only  local. 
A  very  noticeable  feature  in  all  of  these  quarries,  is  the  presence  of  large,  well 
defined,  perpendicular  joints,  trending  about  E.  S.  E.  and  W.  N.  W.  Another 
set  of  joints,  at  right  angles  to  these,  is  less  conspicuous.  In  Shannon's 


DEKALB,  KANE  AND  DUPAGE  COUNTIES.  119 

quarry,  two  of  these  joints,  parallel  to  each  other,  enclose  about  ten  feet  in  hor- 
izontal thickness  of  the  strata,  which  is  said  to  be  shaly  and  entirely  worthless 
for  building  purposes,  while  on  either  side  are  continuous  strata  of  valuable 
stone.  Fossils  appeared  to  be  exceedingly  rare  in  these  beds,  and  when  found, 
except  when  in  a  silicified  condition,  are  very  indistinct. 

Just  north  of  the  bridge,  on  the  western  side  of  the  river,  at  Batavia,  is  a 
quarry,  the  rock  of  which  is  a  light  yellow  limestone,  very  similar  to  that  at 
Mill  creek,  and  containing  in  one  of  its  narrow  layers  great  numbers  of  Penta- 
merus  oblongus.  The  whole  exposure  is  of  about  twelve  feet.  I  consider  this 
exposure,  and  that  at  Mill  creek,  as  of  a  lower  bed  than  those  exposed  in  the 
six  principal  quarries  at  Batavia,  which  cannot  be  identified  as  appearing  any 
more  above  the  surface  to  the  northward  of  that  point. 

From  Batavia  northward,  the  ledges  may  still  be  observed  along  the  river 
bank.  The  rock  is  probably  that  of  the  lower  beds,  the  upper  ones  may  still 
perhaps  be  in  place  higher  up  in  the  bluffs,  but  if  so,  they  are  completely  cov- 
ered with  soil,  and  invisible.  Before  reaching  Geneva,  however,  the  ledges 
disappear  and  are  not  again  met  with  until  that  place  is  reached.  On  the  east- 
ern side  of  the  river,  a  little  north  of  the  bridge,  a  quarry  affords  a  section  of 
about  eleven  feet,  the  upper  five  of  which  are  of  a  yellowish  limestone,  similar 
to  that  already  mentioned  as  occurring  at  Batavia  and  Mill  creek.  Under  this, 
six  feet  of  a  white  grayish  stone  is  exposed,  which  is  quarried  for  building  stone. 
The  upper  bed  affords  a  few  Pentamerus  ol>lonc/vs,  the  lower  one  appears  almost 
destitute  of  fossils.  A  lower  bed  of  similar  limestone,  exposed  on  the  river 
bank  a  little  higher  up,  afforded  a  few  corals  and  other  fossils. 

North  of  Geneva,  the  limestone  may  be  observed  outcropping  at  various 
points,  and  forming  the  bed  of  the  river  and  several  smaller  streams.  The  best 
section  which  is  afforded  by  any  exposure  between  this  point  and  St.  Charles, 
may  be  seen  at  a  place  called  Cedar  Bluffs,  about  a  mile  south  of  the  latter 
place.  The  two  lower  beds  seem  similar  to  those  which  are  exposed  further 
down  the  river,  at  Geneva : 

FEET. 

1.  A  thin-bedded  buff  and  gray  limestone,  apparently  destitute  of  fossils 7 

2.  A  bluish  or  bluish-white  shaly  bed 1 

3.  Brittle  yellow  limestone,  similar  to  the  upper  bed  at  Geneva,  and  containing  many 

Pentamerus  oblongus,  corals,  etc. .  , 4 

4.  Bluish  or  grayish-white  rock,  containing  a  few  fossils,  Illcenus,  Orthocerai,  etc.,  and 

resembling  in  appearance  the  lower  bed  at  Geneva,  exposed 3 

Below  the  lowermost  bed  in  this  section,  and  the  level  of  the  river,  is  a  con- 
siderable thickness  of  strata,  which  are  not  exposed  well  enough  to  enable  us  to 
judge  of  their  lithological  character.  Much  of  it,  however,  is  in  all  probability 
the  same  as  No.  4.  A  half  a  mile  farther  north,  at  McAulay's  quarry,  the 
same  beds  are  again  seen,  but,  in  this  exposure,  No.  1  is  somewhat  thinner,  and 


120  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

No.  4  thicker  by  five  feet.  Here,  it  also  is  divided  into  two  strata,  each  four 
feet  thick,  not  differing  lithologically,  but  with  a  very  distinct  line  of  separa- 
tion. At  this  place,  I  obtained  from  bed  No.  4,  in  addition  to  the  species  col- 
lected at  the  other  locality,  Galymene  Ittumenbachu,  Pentamerus  oblongus,  a 
Comulites,  and  some  additional  corals.  The  quarry  in  the  village  of  St. 
Charles,  on  the  western  side  of  the  river,  may  perhaps  be  in  another  bed  than 
those  exposed  here,  as  the  stone  seems  slightly  different;  it,  however,  resembles 
No.  1,  rather  than  the  others,  and  is  possibly  identical  with  that  bed. 

At  St.  Charles,  the  rock  disappears  under  the  surface,  and  no  exposures  are 
met  with,  up  the  river,  for  nearly  four  miles.  At  this  distance  from  the  vil- 
lage, however,  a  slight  undulation  of  the  strata,  or  a  low  anticlinal,  brings  it 
again  to  the  surface,  and  it  is  prominent,  in  perpendicular  ledges  and  cliffs  of 
low  elevation  for  nearly  a  mile  along  the  western  bank  of  the  river,  and  for  a 
less  distance  on  the  eastern  side.  The  exposures  of  the  rocks  of  this  group 
here  consists  of  about  twenty-five  feet  of  the  lowermost  beds,  resting  immedi- 
ately on  the  shales  and  shaly  limestones  of  the  Cincinnati  group.  The  slope 
here  is  very  slight  each  way,  and  indeed,  but  for  the  fact  of  the  underlying 
beds  of  the  Cincinnati  group  being  brought  to  the  surface,  the  disturbance  of 
the  strata  would  be  hardly  noticeable.  The  rock  consists  of  intercalated  beds 
of  light  gray  limestone  and  buff  colored  dolomite,  containing  in  the  lower  por- 
tion a  few  thin  seams  of  chert.  The  light  gray  portions  of  the  rock  answer 
well  for  burning  into  quick  lime,  and  some  of  the  other  beds  seem  to  be  suitable 
for  the  manufacture  of  cement.  The  axis  of  the  disturbance  is  crossed  by  the 
road  at  Mr.  Jucket's  lime  kiln,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  section  3,  township 
40,  range  8  east,  and  its  trend  is  about  northwest  and  southeast.  The  Fox 
river  is  diverted  from  its  course  by  this  obstruction,  and  runs  in  a  northwesterly 
direction  along  its  northeasterly  edge  for  about  a  mile,  breaking  through  it 
and  running  again  to  the  southward,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  section  3, 
township  40,  range  8.  But  few  fossils  were  obtained  in  the  bed  of  the  Niagara 
group  at  this  locality,  only  Stromatopora  concentrica,  a  Favosites,  an  lllajnus, 
together  with  a  few  imperfect  casts  of  gasterapod  shells,  and  some  indetermin- 
ate corals,  being  found. 

North  of  this  disturbance,  exposures  are  also  wanting  along  the  river  till  the 
village  of  Clintonville,  distant  between  two  and  three  miles,  is  reached,  where 
the  rocks  once  more  come  to  the  surface.  In  the  quarry  here,  on  the  western 
side  of  the  river,  a  little  above  the  village,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
26,  township  41,  range  8,  the  same  strata  and  order  of  superposition  are  ob- 
served as  at  Cedar  Bluffs,  below  St.  Charles,  with  the  exception  of  the  upper 
part  of  No.  1,  only  about  ten  feet  of  which  is  exposed.  The  thin  shaly  seam, 
No.  2,  is  also  much  thinner,  having  here  a  thickness  of  not  more  than  five 
inches,  and  about  three  feet  in  thickness,  immediately  below,  represent  No.  3. 


DEKALB,  KANE  AND  DUPAGE  COUNTIES.  121 

The  remaining  eight  feet  exposed,  to  the  bottom  of  the  quarry,  represent  No.  4. 
The  whole  thickness  exposed  is  fourteen  feet  and  five  inches.  The  fossils  are 
similar  in  species  to  those  collected  at  the  former  locality,  Pentamerus  oblongus, 
Halt/sites  catenularia,  and  various  indeterminate  casts  of  corals  and  shells. 
There  is,  at  this  locality,  a  very  slight  dip  to  the  eastward,  not  more  than  one 
or  two  degrees.  North  of  this  point  there  are  no  exposures  of  the  older  rocks 
along  the  river  within  the  limits  of  the  county. 

The  only  exposures  of  the  Niagara  group  which  remain  to  be  mentioned  as 
occurring  within  this  district,  are  met  with  in  the  forks  of  Big  Rock  creek,  in 
the  southern  portion  of  section  26,  township  38,  range  6,  in  the  southwestern 
portion  of  Kane  county.  There  are  here  two  principal  outcrops,  one  on  each 
branch  of  the  stream,  and  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  apart.  The  bot- 
tom land  lying  between  the  two,  is  also  underlaid  at  a  depth  of  from  two  to  four 
feet  by  the  same  rock,  which  has  here  been  also  artificially  exposed  at  a  point 
about  midway  between  them.  At  the  easternmost  exposure,  the  rock  is  a  soft 
ferruginous  limestone,  of  a  yellow,  and,  in  some  specimens,  reddish  color.  At 
the  diggings  on  the  western  fork,  and  in  the  bottom  land,  it  seems  less  ferru- 
ginous and  more  compact  and  hard,  and  generally  better  fitted  for  use  as  a 
building  and  flagging  stone.  As  nearly  as  could  be  made  out,  the  strata  were 
horizontal.  The  limestones  here  are  hardly  fossiliferous ;  such  few  specimens 
as  were  obtained,  however,  were  identical  with  those  found  near  the  base  of  the 
formation  elsewhere.  On  the  creek  below  this  point,  no  exposures  are  met 
with  north  of  Kendall  county  line,  though  the  rock  is  evidently  not  far  beneath 
the  surface. 

Cincinnati  Group. — The  rocks  of  this  group  underlie  a  small  area  in  the 
northern  part  of  DeKalb  county.  As,  however,  they  are  exposed  at  only  two 
or  three  points  within  this  area,  it  cannot  be  defined  with  any  exactness ;  it 
may,  however,  be  approximately  described  as  a  narrow  strip,  extending  into  this 
county  from  the  north  or  northeast,  and  having  a  width  from  east  to  west  of 
probably  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  miles.  Its  western  border  is  probably 
somewhere  near  the  west  line  of  range  four  of  townships  east  of  the  third 
principal  meridian.  South  of  the  Kishwaukee,  or  Sycamore  river,  there  are  no 
outcrops  in  DeKalb  county,  its  limits  therefore  cannot  be  well  defined  in  that 
region,  though  it  probably  does  not  extend  very  far  to  the  southward. 

One  of  the  few  exposures  of  this  group  in  the  DeKalb  county  area,  occurs  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Kishwaukee,  just  north   of  Stewartsville,  where  about 
fifteen  feet  of  interstratified  green  and   blue  shales  and  rotten  limestone,  with 
some  more  solid  beds,  were  seen.     The  exposure  continues  only  so  far  as  the 
beds  have  been  worked.      Elsewhere  the  high  banks  of  the  creek  present  only 
grass-grown  slopes.     No  dip  was  observed  in  this  locality,  nor  were  any  fossils 
discovered  except  a  few  fragments  of  Trijobites  generally  ^distinguishable  as  to 
—16 
\ 


122  GEOLOGY   OF    ILLINOIS. 

species,  on  account  of  the  incoherency  and  fragility  of  the  material.  The  more 
solid  beds  were  not  rich  in  fossil  remains ;  the  only  specimens  found  were  frag- 
ments of  Calymene  senaria,  and  Lingula.  A  little  over  two  miles  from  this 
point,  near  the  middle  of  the  dividing  line  between  sections  17  and  18,  or  a 
little  over  into  section  17,  is  another  quarry  into  a  yellowish,  and  in  some 
parts  reddish,  porus  limestone,  almost  entirely  made  up  of  undistinguishable 
organic  remains,  and  containing  also  some  well  preserved  fossils.  The  depth  of 
the  excavation  was  about  five  feet,  with  apparently  no  change  in  the  character 
of  the  rock.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  farther  south,  I  observed  another 
similar  excavation  in  similar  beds  of  limestone. 

Mention  has  been  made  in  the  remarks  on  the  Niagara  group,  of  an  isolated 
exposure  of  Cincinnati  beds  forming  the  base  of  a  low  anticlinal,  cut  through 
by  Fox  river,  in  the  western  part  of  section  3,  township  40,  range  8.  No  good 
section  is  afforded  at  this  place,  as  a  sloping,  grass-grown  talus  extends  almost 
uninterruptedly  from  the  foot  of  the  ledges  of  Niagara  limestone  to  the  level 
strip  of  bottom  land  along  the  river.  The  highest  point  to  which  this  forma- 
tion extends  in  the  axis  of  disturbance,  is  about  thirty  feet  above  the  river. 
The  upper  beds  here  appear  to  be  shaly,  containing  many  thin  plates  of  a  highly 
fossiliferous  gray  limestone,  containing  many  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this 
group.  These  are  washed  out  abundantly  in  the  small  runs  and  water  channels 
in  the  bank,  and  afford  in  great  numbers  Orthis  subquadrata,  Ortliis  biforata, 
0.  testudinaria,  0.  occidentalis,  Strophomena  alternata,  Leptsena  sericea,  and  many 
other  common  species. 

Trenton  Group. — The  upper  beds  of  the  Galena  limestone,  which  alone  are 
included  in  the  surface  outcrops  of  this  district,  underlie  the  surface  in  that 
portion  of  DeKalb  county  lying  west  of  the  area  already  mentioned  as  occupied 
by  the  Cincinnati  group.  The  exposures  are  few  and,  with  one  exception,  con- 
fined to  the  banks  of  the  Kishwaukee  and  its  immediate  vicinity.  The  princi- 
pal exposures  are  as  follows: 

Near  the  center  of  the  western  half  of  section  30,  township  42,  range  3,  and 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  western  line  of  the  county,  I  observed,  in  a 
small  ravine  at  the  side  of  the  road,  a  ledge  of  thinly  bedded,  buff  colored,  po- 
rous, fossiliferous  limestone,  which  had  been  quarried  to  some  extent,  and  was 
exposed  in  the  natural  and  artificial  section  to  a  depth  of  about  ten  feet.  No 
dip  was  perceptible  in  this  exposure.  The  fossils  were,  from  the  nature  of  the 
rock,  very  imperfect,  being  principally  very  indistinct  internal  casts  of  Mur- 
chisonia,  Pleurotomaria,  etc.  Similar  beds  of  limestone  are  said  to  occur  in 
the  bed  of  the  Kishwaukee,  in  the  northern  parts  of  sections  21  and  22,  but  at 
the  time  of  my  visit  the  water  was  too  high  to  make  any  thorough  examina- 
tion. 


DEKALB,    KANE    AND   DUPAGE    COUNTIES.  123 

Passing  up  the  creek,  we  find  again  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  42, 
similar  ledges  of  brownish-yellow  and  buff  colored  limestone  appearing  to  the 
hight  of  about  six  feet,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  creek.  Fossils  were  numer- 
ous at  this  place  also,  but  were  similar  in  condition  to  those  in  the  locality  pre- 
viously described.  One  and  a  half  miles  farther  east,  in  the  western  part  of 
section  2,  township  42,  range  4,  is  another  exposure,  at  which  also  the  rock  has 
been  somewhat  quarried.  The  limestone  is  worked  right  at  the  water's  edge, 
and  is  said  to  appear  also  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  in  this  vicinity.  The  upper 
beds  here  are  friable  and  thin ;  the  lower  beds,  however,  are  said  to  answer  well 
as  a  building  material  for  the  rougher  kinds  of  work. 

Economical    Geology. 

Building  Stone.— The  best  stone  for  general  building  purposes  which  is  found 
in  this  district,  is  that  which  is  obtained  from  the  quarries  at  Batavia  and  the 
southern  part  of  the  city  of  Aurora.  This  is  apparently  near  the  top  of  the 
Niagara  group,  as  it  is  developed  along  the  Fox  river,  though  probably  within 
one  hundred  feet  from  the  base  and  actually  in  the  lower  part  of  the  formation. 
It  is  probably  in  about  the  same  geological  horizon  as  the  well  known  Joliet 
stone,  which  it  very  much  resembles.  It  is  here  a  light  gray  or  drab,  evenly 
bedded  limestone,  the  beds  varying  from  eight  inches  or  lessee  nearly  three 
feet  in  thickness,  affording  blocks  of  all  sizes  required  for  building  purposes. 
The  stone  dresses  well,  is  strong  and  durable,  and  after  being  cut  is  of  an  agree- 
able light  drab  or  buff  color,  which, .however,  is  liable  to  be  considerably  deep- 
ened by  the  action  of  the  weather.  Occasionally,  also,  some  layers  of  the  stone 
contain  nodules  of  pyrites  which,  decomposing,  leave  unsightly  stains  on  the 
walls  and  buildings  in  which  it  is  used,  as  may  be  observed,  for  instance,  in  the 
court  house  at  Geneva.  This  stone  is  used  extensively  for  building  purposes, 
not  only  in  this  district,  but  also  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  The  quarries  at 
Batavia  are  worked  in  the  side  of  the  river  bluffs,  and  the  consequent  necessity 
of  removing  the  superincumbent  masses  of  Drift  and  surface  soil  is  a  hindrance 
to  their  extension,  causing  a  great  increase  in  the  labor  and  the  expense  of 
working  them. 

The  other  exposures  of  the  Niagara  group,  and  the  limestones  of  the  Trenton 
and  Cincinnati  groups,  occurring  in  various  parts  of  this  district,  also  afford  a 
supply  of  material  suitable  for  foundations,  rough  walls,  etc.,  and  are  also  used 
to  some  extent  for  general  building  purposes.  The  rock,  however,  is  generally 
too  thinly  and  irregularly  bedded  to  afford  a  superior  quality  of  building  stone, 
Large  portions  of  this  district,  however,  are  entirely  destitute  of  a  local  supply 
of  building  stone,  and  in  some  parts  this  material,  whenever  it  is  required,  must 
be  transported  a  distance  of  from  ten  to  eighteen  miles. 


124  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Limestone  for  Lime. — Many  of  the  limestone  beds  of  the  Niagara  group,  in 
this  district,  afford  a  good  material  for  the  manufacture  of  lime,  and  have  been 
worked  for  this  purpose.  Lime  kilns  have  been  established  at  Naperville  and 
other  places  in  DuPage  county,  and  at  several  points  along  the  Fox  river,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  towns  of  Aurora,  Batavia,  Geneva,  and  St.  Charles,  in  Kane 
county.  In  northern  DeKalb  county,  the  outcropping  beds  of  the  Galena 
limestone  have  been  used  for  the  same  purpose,  and  are  reported  to  have  fur- 
nished a  good  article.  The  deposit  of  calcareous  tufa,  three  miles  north  of  the 
city  of  Elgin,  and  its  former  manufacture  into  lime,  have  been  already  men- 
tioned in  the  earlier  part  of  this  chapter. 

In  the  lowest  part  of  the  Niagara  group,  at  Fayville,  on  the  Fox  river,  about 
four  miles  north  of  St.  Charles,  there  occurs  a  stratum  of  somewhat  argillaceous 
magnesian  limestone  or  dolomite,  which  it  is  reported  has  been  tried  and  found 
to  answer  for  the  manufacture  of  hydraulic  cement.  An  analysis  of  this  rock, 
by  Dr.  Blaney,  may  be  found  in  the  appendix  to  the  third  volume  of  these  Re- 
ports. Beyond  this  I  am  not  aware  of  any  material  which  has  been  tested  for 
this  purpose,  within  the  limits  of  this  district. 

Other  Building  Materials. — Clay  and  loam  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of 
brick  may  be  obtained  from  the  Drift  and  surface  deposits  in  various  parts  of 
this  district.  The  best  material  .for  this  purpose,  however,  is  found  in  the 
northern  part  of  Kane  county,  at  the  village  of  Dundee.  The  clay  here, 
which  appears  to  belong  to  the  Drift  formation,  is  quite  free  from  oxydes  of 
iron,  and  burns  into  brick  of  a  delicate  pale  yellow  color,  in  assorted  lots,  not 
inferior  in  appearance  to  the  celebrated  Milwaukee  brick.  In  other  places, 
however,  the  same  difficulty  is  met  with  as  in  Cook  county  ;  the  clay  contains 
too  great  a  proportion  of  lime  to  produce  at  once  a  handsome  and  durable 
article  of  brick.  Sand  and  gravel  for  mortar  and  concrete  are  sufficiently 
abundant  in  all  parts  of  the  county. 

The  limestone  boulders  and  hard-heads,  which  are  so  abundant  in  various 
places  along  the  Fox  river,  in  Kane  county,  are  also  used  to  a  limited  extent  as 
a  building  material,  in  ornamenting  the  fronts  of  houses,  etc. 

Peat. — Deposits  of  this  material,  of  greater  or  less  extent,  are  found  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  this  district,  but  are  most  numerous  and  extensive  in  the  northern 
portion  of  Kane  county,  where  there  are  some  rather  extensive  level,  wet  prairies. 
But  little  attention,  however,  has  as  yet  been  paid  to  the  economical  value  of 
this  material,  and  the  depth  and  extent  of  the  deposits  have  been  scarcely  tested. 
At  the  village  of  Carpenterville,  on  the  Fox  river,  one  mile  north  of  Dundee, 
there  is  a  deposit  of  peat  one  hundred  acres  or  more  in  extent,  and  averaging  at 
least  four  or  five  feet  in  depth,  which  has  been  somewhat  used  in  the  neighbor- 
hood as  fuel,  and  found  to  answer  well.  Still  more  extensive  beds  occur  farther 


DEKAB,    KANE    AND   DUPAGE    COUNTIES.  125 

west,  in  the  towns  of  Rutland  and  Hampshire,  which  are  reported  to  have  also 
been  used  to  a  slight  extent. 

Agriculture,  etc. — The  principal  varieties  of  soil,  etc.,  in  this  district,  were 
briefly  mentioned  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  chapter.  The  prairie  soil, 
which  covers  the  greater  portion  of  the  surface,  does  not  differ  from  the  aver- 
age in  this  part  of  the  State.  It  is  always  productive,  and  yields  good  crops  by 
proper  tillage.  Although  a  few  comparatively  poor  sections  may  be  found,  yet, 
as  a  whole,  in  the  elements  of  material  prosperity,  it  is  not  behind  any  other 
territory  of  equal  extent  in  this  part  of  Illinois.  The  nearness  and  the  easy 
accessibility  of  most  parts,  by  means  of  the  several  railroads,  to  the  great  com- 
mercial metropolis  of  the  northwest,  adds  greatly  to  its  other  advantages. 

Water  is  readily  obtained  by  sinking  wells  to  depths  varying  from  ten  to 
fifty  feet,  and  very  rarely  more.  The  supply  here  comes  largely  from  water 
veins  in  the  gravel  beds  or  seams,  which  traverse  the  clays  or  hard-pans  of  the 
Drift.  It  is  only  in  extraordinarily  dry  seasons  that  any  inconvenience  is  felt  in 
the  want  of  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  for  stock. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


McIIENRY    AND    LAKE     COUNTIES. 

These  two  counties  are  situated  contiguously  to  each  other,  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  State,  and  are  bounded,  respectively,  as  follows :  McHenry 
county  is  bounded,  on  the  north,  by  the  State  of  Wisconsin ;  on  the  east,  by 
Lake  county  ;  on  the  south,  by  Cook,  Kane,  and  DeKalb  counties ;  and  on  the 
west,  by  Boone  county.  Lake  county,  lying  to  the  east  of  McHenry,  has  for 
its  remaining  boundaries  on  the  north,  east,  and  south,  respectively,  the  State 
of  Wisconsin,  Lake  Michigan,  and  Cook  county.  The  superficial  area  of  the 
whole  district  is  about  ten  hundred  and  six  square  miles,  of  which  area,  the 
greater  portion,  six  hundred  and  twelve  square  miles,  is  within  the  limits  of 
McHenry  county,  and  the  remainder,  three  hundred  and  ninety-four  square 
miles,  in  Lake  county. 

The  principal  streams  by  which  this  region  is  watered  are,  in  the  order  of 
their  importance,  as  follows  :  the  Fox  river,  which,  entering  this  district  from 
the  north,  and  passing  through  several  expansions  or  lakes,  traverses  it  in  a 
general  north  and  south  direction  ;  the  DesPlaines,  also  rising  in  the  State  of 
Wisconsin,  and  pursuing  a  generally  parallel  course;  the  Kishwaukee,  rising 
in  the  central  and  western  portions  of  McHenry  county,  in  two  or  three 
branches,  and  flowing  westward  into  Boone  county ;  and  the  Nippersink,  a  tri- 
butary of  the  Fox,  also  rising  in  McHenry  county,  and  traversing  several  of 
its  northern  townships.  Besides  these  streams  and  their  .lesser  tributaries, 
there  are  one  or  two  small  water-courses  discharging  directly  into  Lake  Michi- 
gan, and  a  slough,  or  succession  of  sloughs,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Lake 
county,  are  drained  by  the  northern  branch  of  the  Chicago  river,  which,  in  this 
county,  can  hardly  be  called  a  stream,  except  during  the  wet  seasons.  That 
portion  of  the  district,  however,  which  drains  its  waters  into  the  lake,  and  may 
properly  be  said  to  belong  to  the  basin  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  is  very  inconsidera- 
ble, a  mere  strip  along  the  coast,  hardly  averaging  three  or  four  miles  in  width. 

The  surface  configuration  of  this  district  is  somewhat  varied,  embracing  not 
only  the  upland  rolling  prairie  and  woodland,  the  prevailing  character  of  the 
surface  in  this  part  of  the  State,  but  also  extensive  wet  prairies  or  sloughs,  in 
certain  localities,  and  tracts  of  alternate  sand  ridge  and  marsh  of  the  most  re- 


MCHENRY  AND  LAKE  COUNTIES.  127 

cent  lucustrinc  formation.  This  last  character  of  the  surface,  however,  is  con- 
fined to  a  narrow  strip  extending  along  the  coast,  from  Waukegan  northward , 
and  in  its  widest  part,  not  more  than  two  miles  across.  The  ridges  here  are 
composed  almost  entirely  of  sand,  but  nevertheless,  support  a  growth  of  stunted 
black  and  red  oak,  dwarf  juniper,  and  occasionally,  white  pine ;  their  elevation 
is  but  a  very  few  feec  above  the  lake.  The  outermost  one  is  the  widest,  and 
indeed,  in  many  places,  the  only  one,  being  constantly  enlarged  by  accretions 
along  its  lake  front,  and  by  the  loose  sand  blowing  inland  from  the  beach,  which 
is  itself  a  wide  one,  and  is  fronted  by  shallow  water  for  some  little  distance 
from  the  shore.  The  low  prairie  or  marsh,  between  the  ridges  and  the  bluffs 
is  overflowed  in  many  portions  during  a  great  part  of  the  year,  and  in  some 
places  is  scarcely  ever  passable.  In  the  firmer  spots,  there  are  occasional 
clumps  or  thickets  of  bushes  and  low  trees,  but  over  the  greater  portion,  the 
only  vegetation  is  rank  grass  and  rushes.  A  strip  of  land  of  this  general 
character,  extends  along  the  coast  nearly  to  the  State  line,  gradually  rising, 
however,  to  the  northward,  and  becoming  dryer  and  more  wooded. 

This  low  coast  does  not  extend  south  of  Waukegan,  and  the  bluffs,  which, 
north  of  that  place,  are  a  mile  or  more  inland,  form  the  immediate  coast  to  the 
southward,  in  many  places  without  even  a  strip  of  beach  between  their  bases 
and  the  water's  edge.  Being  thus  exposed,  the  bank  crumbles  rapidly  under 
the  wearing  influence  of  the  waves  of  the  lake,  and  in  violent  storms,  large 
masses  are  often  undermined  and  carried  away.  Another  frequent  cause  of 
landslides  is,  the  water  percolating  the  clay  from  the  top  of  the  bank  down- 
wards, which,  when  the  frost  is  coming  out  of  the  ground,  or  after  long  con- 
tinued wet  seasons,  must  affect  materially  the  rapidity  of  the  process  of  degra- 
dation. The  hight  of  the  bluffs,  however,  some  seventy  or  eighty  feet,  is  such 
as  to  render  the  inward  progress  of  the  lake  upon  the  land  comparatively  slow. 
The  actual  rate  of  wear  could  not  be  exactly  ascertained,  but  from  the  appear- 
ance of  the  clay  bluffs  themselves,  I  judged  that  in  the  course  of  years  it  might 
be  considerable,  amounting,  perhaps,  to  several  hundred  feet  in  a  century. 

Inland  from  the  bluffs,  we  find,  for  several  miles,  a  gently  undulating  sur- 
face, which,  for  the  most  part,  was  originally  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of 
timber,  principally  of  the  different  species  of  oak  and  hickory,  with  a  sprink- 
ling of  other  kinds  of  trees.  The  soil  is  a  light  colored,  somewhat  arenaceous 
clay  or  loam,  with  more  or  less  admixture,  in  its  upper  portion,  of  organic  mat- 
ter, rendering  certain  portions  slightly  darker  in  color  than  the  remainder. 
The  same  general  character  of  the  soil  prevails  in  the  undulating  timbered 
tracts  in  all  parts  of  the  district,  and  also  forms  the  subsoil  of  most  of  the 
prairie.  It  appears  to  me  to  be  a  somewhat  modified  upper  member  of  the" 
Drift,  and  may  be  seen  with  the  same  general  characteristics,  in  similar  situa- 
tions, in  all  of  the  northeastern  counties  of  the  State. 


128  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

Passing  still  further  westward  in  Lake  county,  the  general  appearance  of  the 
country  is  found  to  be  the  same,  undulating  prairie  and  forest,  with  here  and 
there  over  the  surface,  small  level  prairies  and  lakes  or  ponds.  These  latter 
are  most  numerous  in  the  western  and  northwestern  portions  of  the  county 
where  they  are  extremely  abundant  and  vary  in  extent  from  a  few  acres  to  sev- 
eral square  miles.  The  largest  are  those  on  the  upper  course  of  the  Fox  river, 
near  the  McHenry  county  line,  Pistakee  Lake  and  Fox  Lake,  which  are  from 
four  to  seven  miles  in  length,  and  a  mile  or  more  in  breadth.  The  others  sel- 
'  dom  exceed  one  or  two  square  miles  in  area,  and  vary  in  character  from  quiet 
land-locked  ponds  to  shallow,  grassy  marshes,  differing  but  little  from  the  ordi- 
nary wet  prairie  or  slough.  Indeed,  almost  every  intermediate  form  between 
the  two  may  be  found  in  this  region.  The  larger  lakes,  in  many  instances,  are 
themselves  widely  margined  with  a  growth  of  wild  rice  and  various  aquatic 
grasses  and  weeds,  the  matted  stems  of  these,  together  with  the  floating  con- 
fervoid  vegetation,  forming,  in  some  places,  a  mass  of  sufficient  buoyancy  to 
support  the  weight  of  a  man.  When,  however,  this  mat  is  once  penetrated,  a 
stick  or  an  oar  may  sometimes  be  thrust  down  for  a  depth  of  several  feet,  meet- 
ing with  scarcely  any  more  resistance  than  is  furnished  by  its  own  buoyancy. 
There  are  in  Lake  county,  including  the  smaller  ones,  some  twenty  or  thirty 
of  these  lakes  or  ponds ;  their  average  extent  is,  perhaps,  nearly  one  square 
mile. 

Passing  westward  into  McHenry  county,  we  find  much  of  the  surface  of  the 
same  character,  but  also  a  much  greater  proportion  of  prairie,  both  level  and 
undulating.  The  wooded  country  becomes  more  broken,  even  rising  in  some 
instances,  into  what  may  be  called  in  this  part  of  the  country,  hills  of  moder- 
ate elevation..  The  general  characters  of  soil  and  timber  continue  about  the 
same;  the  small  lakes,  however,  so  characteristic  a  feature  in  the  adjoining 
county,  are  scarcely  met  with  at  all  to  the  westward  of  the  Fox  river.  The 
prairies  of  this  county,  which,  including  under  this  head  the  low-lying  marshy 
tracts  or  sloughs,  comprise  probably  two-thirds,  or  a  still  greater  proportion  of 
its  surface,  show  in  themselves  rather  greater  variety  of  soil  and  surface  than 
those  in  the  counties  farther  to  the  south.  We  have  here  the  gently  undulat- 
ing or  rolling  prairie,  a  continuation  of  that  of  the  counties  lying  to  the  south 
and  west,  with  its  dark  brown  or  blackish  upper  soil  of  varying  depth,  with  a 
sandy  or  gravelly  clay  sub-soil,  and  with  narrow  strips  of  marsh  or  slough 
between  the  undulations.  This  is  the  general  character  in  the  southern  tier  of 
townships,  and  to  a  considerable  extent,  though  less  generally,  in  other  parts 
of  the  county.  In  the  central,  and  in  some  other  portions  of  the  county,  the 
"surface  of  the  prairie  sometimes  becomes  less  undulating,  and  even  apparently 
level,  though  still  preserving  sufficient  rise  to  afford  good  drainage.  A  good 
example  of  this  variety  of  prairie  surface  may  be  well  seen  in  the  Kishwaukee 


MCHENRY  AND  LAKE  COUNTIES.  129 

prairie,  and  at  one  or  two  other  places  in  the  county.  Lastly,  we  have  the 
before  mentioned  wet  prairies,  or  sloughs,  which  combined,  occupy  a  consider- 
able area  in  this  county.  Small  sloughs,  varying  in  extent  from  one  acre  or 
less  to  several  hundred,  are  found  in  all  parts  of  the  county,  but  the  largest  are 
in  the  northern  tiers  of  townships.  The  soil  of  these  wet  prairies  is  generally 
more  or  less  peaty,  varying  in  composition  from  ordinary  black,  swamp  muck  to 
true  peat ;  its  depth  varies  from  one  to  twelve  feet,  and  is  sometimes  even  more. 
The  geological  formations  in  this  district  comprise  only  the  Drift,  and  of 
the  older  rocks,  the  Cincinnati  and  Niagara  groups.  The  latter,  however,  are 
exposed  at  onl_y  two  or  three  points  in  the  district,  everywhere  else  being 
deeply  buried  under  the  deposits  of  the  Drift.  These  consist  here,  chiefly  of 
clay  and  hard-pan,  with  occasional  beds  of  sand,  gravel,  etc.,  and  with  frequent 
boulders  scattered  throughout  the  mass.  Its  depth  over  the  whole  district  will 
probably  average  at  least  seventy  feet,  being  seldom  less  than  that,  and  often 
much  deeper.  The  best  section  is  aiforded  along  the  lake  shore,  from  Wauke- 
gan  southward,  where  the  exposed  face  of  the  bluffs,  washed  by  the  lake  waves, 
and  constantly  exposed  to  their  wearing  action,  presents  an  almost  continuous 
section  of  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  perpendicular,  for  twelve  or  thirteen  miles. 
In  most  places  these  bluffs  appear  to  be  entirely  composed  of  clay  and  hard- 
pan,  without  stratification  or  any  horizontal  arrangement  whatever,  except  in 
having  the  upper  portion  generally  of  finer  material  than  the  lower,  as  was 
observed  in  the  continuation  of  these  same  bluffs  southward,  and  mentioned  in 
the  report  on  Cook  county.  In  some  places,  however,  a  kind  of  a  rough  strati- 
fication may  be  seen,  rarely  extending  any  considerable  distance,  and  often  so 
indistinct  as  to  escape  the  notice  of  a  casual  observer.  In  the  bluffs  near  Port 
Clinton,  I  observed  the  variation  of  the  beds  more  by  observing  the  line  of 
springs,  or  the  level  at  which  the  most  of  the  moisture  seemed  to  gather  in  the 
face  of  the  bank,  and  to  some  extent  also  by  the  same  means  farther  to  the 
northward.  At  one  point,  a  little  north  of  the  City  of  Lake  Forest,  I  made 
out  the  following  section.  As  the  cliff  was  nearly  perpendicular  and  unscalable, 
the  thickness  of  the  different  ?jeds  are  merely  estimates,  their  relative  thick- 
nesses, however,  are  comparatively  unimportant,  as  at  no  two  points  were  they 
exactly  the  same : 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Clay , 10  to  14 

2.  Sand  and  cla^  intermixed „ .  c  -.    ...  9  "  11 

3.  Clay J    "     1     6 

4.  Sand 1 

5.  Clay , 50 

I  could  not  trace  this  section  for  more  than  a  few  rods  along  the  face  of  the 
bluffs,  as  the  different  beds  appeared  to  run  out  or  to  graduate  into  each  other  in 

—17 


130  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

such  a  manner  as  scarcely  to  be  detected.  Farther  to  the  northward,  between 
this  place  and  Waukegan,  I  noticed  bands  or  strata  of  different  colored  clays  in 
the  upper  portion  of  the  bluffs  at  one  or  two  points. 

Irregular  pockets  of  sand  and  gravel,  sometimes  with  a  kind  of  rough  strati- 
fication of  the  contained  material,  and  large  and  small  boulders  of  nearly  all 
kinds  of  rock,  are  scattered  abundantly  throughout  the  hard-pan  and  clay  of 
which  the  cliffs  are  mainly  composed.  One  of  the  largest  of  these  boulders 
was  seen  on  the  beach  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs,  a  little  north  of  the  southern 
line  of  Lake  county.  The  material  of  the  mass  is  a  light  blue  or  drab  colored, 
close  grained,  impure  limestone,  containing  a  few  silicified  crinoidal  stems,  etc., 
but  not  enough  of  fossil  remains  to  determine  the  age  of  the  beds  from  which 
it  was  derived,  though  it  is  probably  from  some  of  the  silurian  rocks  of  Wis- 
consin. Its  dimensions  I  was  unable  to  take  with  accuracy,  as  it  was  deeply 
bedded  in  the  sand  and  partly  covered  by  a  land-slip  from  above,  but  the 
exposed  portion  was  about  ten  feet  by  six  or  seven,  on  its  upper  surface,  stand- 
ing three  or  four  feet  above  the  beach.  Its  upper  surface  was  polished,  but 
not  level,  and  showed  striae  in  nearly  all  directions,  but  with  the  deepest  ones 
and  largest  number  in  the  direction  of  its  greatest  diameter.  Other  smaller 
masses  of  the  same  rock  are  frequently  found  with  two  or  more  sides  flattened 
and  striated,  and  it  seems  quite  possible  that  this  larger  mass,  if  fully  exposed, 
might  show  other  similar  striated  surfaces  to  the  upper  exposed  one.  Most  of 
the  large  boulders  are  of  limestone,  the  masses  of  the  primary  or  intrusive 
rocks  are  generally  of  comparatively  small  size,  or  when  of  considerable  size, 
are  but  rarely  met  with. 

Passing  away  from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  coast,  where  the  frequent 
deep  ravines  afford  an  occasional  view  of  the  lower  clays,  we  find  no  good  sec- 
tions of  the  Drift  in  Lake  county.  There  are  no  natural  exposures,  and  all  the 
data  which  can  be  obtained  from  wells,  etc.,  are  meagre  and  unsatisfactory; 
they  seldom  penetrate  more  than  forty  feet,  and  but  little  is  met  with  but  blue 
clay  or  hard  pan,  with  an  occasional  pocket  or  irregular  seam  of  quick  sand  or 
gravel.  Boulders,  however,  are  tolerably  abundant  on  the  surface,  and  are  also 
met  with  in  these  excavations,  many  of  them  of  considerable  size  and  weight, 
and  of  nearly  every  material,  granite,  syenite,  greenstone,  trap,  etc.,  as  well  as 
of  the  more  recent  sedimentary  rocks,  such  as  limestone  and  sandstone.  In 
the  western  part  of  the  county,  near  the  Fox  river,  we  find  the  ridges,  in  some 
places,  to  be  largely  composed  of  rolled  limestone  boulders.  The  same  character 
has  been  observed  further  south  along  the  same  stream,  and  remarked  upon  in 
the  chapter  on  Cook  county.  The  material,  judging  from  the  lithological  char- 
acters and  contained  fossils,  is  chiefly  derived  from  the  beds  of  the  Niagara 
group,  to  the  northward,  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin. 


MCHENRY  AND  LAKE  COUNTIES,  131 

In  the  northeastern  part  of  Lake  county,  along  the  bluffs  north  of  Wauke- 
gan,  the  Devonian  beds  of  Wisconsin  appear  to  have  contributed  largely  to  the 
debris  of  the  Drift ;  in  a  collection  of  fossils,  all  more  or  less  worn  but  mostly 
recognizable,  which  had  been  picked  out  of  the  gravel  beds  of  this  region  by 
Mr.  J.  W.  Milner,  a  very  enterprising  and  zealous  resident  collector,  I  noticed 
a  very  large  proportion  of  Devonian  species,  apparently  of  the  age  of  the  Ham- 
ilton group. 

In  McHenry  county,  we  find  this  formation  presenting  much  the  same  gen- 
eral characters  as  further  to  the  eastward.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Fox  river 
the  same  kind  of  gravel  ridges  are  met  with  as  those  which  have  been  described 
as  occurring  in  the  western  part  of  Lake  county.  In  the  central  and  western 
portions  of  the  county,  the  mass  of  the  Drift  appears  to  consist  of  clay  and  hard- 
pan,  with  occasional  boulders.  We  have,  however,  in  this  county,  accounts  of 
logs  of  wood  and  other  vegetable  remains  being  found  at  various  depths  in  these 
deposits,  a  feature  which  appears  to  be  wanting,  or  extremely  uncommon  in 
Lake  county.  One  such  instance  of  the  finding  of  a  cedar  (?)  log  seven  inches 
in  diameter,  at  the  depth  of  forty-two  feet  below  the  surface,  is  reported,  on 
the  land  of  Mr.  Thos.  Dufifield,  near  the  eastern  line  of  section  13,  township 
44,  range  6.  Other  instances  are  reported  in  various  parts,  at  depths  varying 
from  fifteen  to  fifty  feet  or  more.  Such  of  these  tree  trunks,  etc.,  as  are  found 
within  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  of  the  surface  may,  perhaps,  belong  to  a  later 
period  than  that  of  the  mass  of  the  Drift,  but  those  which  are  met  with  at 
depths  of  forty  or  fifty  feet,  or  even  more,  cannot,  it  seems  to  me,  be  properly 
so  referred. 

Niagara  Group. — This  formation,  probably,  underlies  the  whole  surface  of 
the  district,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow  strip  along  its  western  border;  its 
outcrops,  however,  are  limited  to  two  or  three  localities.  For  this  reason, 
therefore,  its  boundaries  can  be  determined  only  approximately,  by  lines  drawn 
from  localities  beyond  the  limits  of  the  district.  The  outcrops,  judging  from 
the  character  of  the  rock,  appear,  with  perhaps  one  exception,  to  be  confined 
to  the  upper  or  middle  portion  of  the  group,  and  are  as  follows : 

In  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  31,  township  44  north,  range  11  east,  on 
the  land  of  Mr.  Thomas  Rawson,  a  ledge  of  light  gray  limestone,  weathering  to 
a  pale  yellow  or  buff  color,  has  been  opened  to  a  limited  extent.  The  exposure 
is  not  natural,  the  top  of  the  ledge  having  been  originally  covered  with  earth 
to  the  depth  of  about  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches,  and  was  only  discovered  as  late 
as  the  year  1867.  The  depth  of  the  excavation  is  about  six  feet,  the  rock 
showing  no  signs  of  stratification  whatever,  but  becoming  rather  darker  in  color 
and  more  dense  in  the  lower  part  of  the  exposure.  Although  in  its  upper  por- 
tion the  stone  seemed  to  be  almost  entirely  made  up  of  disintegrated  organic 
remains,  but  few  fossils  were  collected,  a  few  corals  and  an  internal  cast  of 


132  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

Caiitocrinus.  A  half  a  mile  west  of  this  point,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  36,  of  the  adjoining  township,  the  same  limestone  is  said  to  have  been 
met  with  at  the  depth  of  four  feet. 

About  five  miles  due  north  of  this  locality,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec.  1, 
on  Mr.  Watson'  Convers's  place,  a  bed  of  limestone  rock  was  struck  in  two 
separate  places,  in  digging  wells,  in  one  at  the  depth  of  only  five  and  a  half 
feet  below  the  surface.  A  few  flakes  of  the  stone  were  turned  up  and  were  to 
be  seen  on  the  surface  at  the  time  of  my  visit ;  a  rather  even  textured,  light 
drab  or  buff  limestone,  containing  imperfect  casts  of  Pentamerus. .  If  this  lime- 
stone is  here  in  place,  and  judging  from  the  account  of  Mr.  Convers,  I  think  it 
quite  probable  that  it  is,  it  may,  perhaps,  belong  to  a  considerably  lower  hori- 
zon than  that  of  the  other  localities  in  the  district.  In  general  appearance,  the 
specimens  of  the  stone  which  were  seen  were  not  very  different  from  some  of 
the  beds  exposed  on  the  Fox  river,  in  Kane  county,  which  were  there  referred 
to  the  lower  part  of  the  group. 

The  only  remaining  locality  where  the  beds  of  this  age  have  been  exposed  at 
the  surface,  is  in  the  northeast  corner  of  section  17,  township  44,  range  9;  and 
nearly  on  the  county  line  between  McHenry  and  Lake  counties.  The  lime- 
stone is  here  seen  in  the  sides  and  bottom  of  a  shallow  excavation  on  the  road- 
side, about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  in  diameter.  In  general  appearance  and  texture, 
it  is  the  same  as  that  at  Mr.  Rawson's,  except  that  at  this  point,  being  some- 
what more  exposed  to  atmospheric  and  other  wearing  influences,  it  is  softer 
and  more  disintegrated.  No  well  preserved  fossils  are  contained  in  this  rock; 
a  few  imperfect  casts  of  corals  and  crinoids,  and  a  single  specimen  of  StropTio- 
mena  rhomboidalis  were  only  obtained. 

At  a  place  called  the  Sand  Hills,  on  the  Kishwaukce,  in  the  southwest  part 
of  section  21,  township  44,  range  6,  a  bed  of  limestone  was  reported  to  have 
been  struck  at  the  depth  of  fourteen  feet  below  the  surface.  This,  also,  proba- 
bly belongs  to  the  Niagara  group,  as  we  have  no  reason  to  infer  that  the  other 
formations  extend  so  far  to  the  eastward. 

Cincinnati  Group. — This  formation,  as  nearly  as  we  are  able  to  judge,  un- 
derlies a  narrow  strip  of  territory  running  nearly  due  north  and  south,  near 
the  western  border  of  this  district.  Its  exposures  are  restricted  to  one  locality, 
about  two  miles  east  of  G-arden  Prairie  Station,  on  the  Chicago  and  North- 
western railway,  Galena  division,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  the 
main  wagon  road,  between  that  place  and  Marengo.  It  is  here  extensively 
quarried,  the  excavations  being  twelve  feet  or  more  in  depth.  The  rock  is  a 
thin  bedded,  buff  limestone,  having  frequently  a  slight  bluish  tinge,  and  con- 
taining much  chert  in  some  parts  of  the  quarry.  In  general  appearance,  it  is 
very  similar  to  some  of  the  lower  beds  of  the  Niagara,  to  which  group  I  was  at 
first  inclined  to  refer  it.  Fossils  appeared  to  be  scarce,  only  a  few  imperfect 
fragments  were  obtained. 


MCHENRY  AND  LAKE  COUNTIES.  133 

It  is  just  possible  that  I  have  drawn  the  dividing  line  between  the  Niagara 
and  Cincinnati  groups  too  high  up,  and  that  these  beds  should  properly  be  con- 
sidered as  forming  the  base  of  the  upper  Silurian.  In  referring  them,  however, 
as  I  did,  I  was  influenced  by  their  resemblance  to  undoubted  Cincinnati  beds, 
farther  to  the  westward,  as  well  as  by  the  position  of  the  outcrop.  We  fre- 
quently find,  moreover,  in  this  part  of  the  State,  a  greater  or  less  similarity  in 
the  beds  on  both  sides  of  the  line  of  separation  of  two  members  of  the  Silu- 
rian, lying  conformably  one  upon  the  other,  and  occasionally  what  appear  to  be 
beds  of  passage  between  the  two. 

Besides  the  Niagara  and  Cincinnati  groups,  which  we  know  to  underlie  por- 
tions of  the  territory  of  this  district,  the  Galena  limestone  may  possibly  be  also 
found  to  occupy  a  very  narrow  strip  along  its  northwestern  border.  As,  how- 
ever, I  am  aware  of  no  outcrops  nor  exposures,  whatever,  of  this  formation,  in 
the  district,  and  its  presence  here  is  only  inferred  from  the  facts  afforded  by  the 
exposures  in  the  adjacent  portion  of  Boone  county,  directly  to  the  westward, 
this  bare  mention  of  it  may  be  sufficient  in  this  report. 

Economical     Geology. 

Building  Materials. — The  only  stone  quarry  of  any  extent  within  the  district, 
is  that  which  has  just  been  described  under  the  head  of  the  Cincinnati  group, 
a  little  distance  east  of  the  western  line  of  McHenry  county.  The  rock  here 
is  generally  too  thin  bedded  and  contains  too  much  chert,  to  serve  all  purposes 
as  a  building  stone,  but  nevertheless  answers  well  for  foundations  and  for  the 
rougher  kinds  of  masonry  generally.  In  the  other  localities  where  the  beds  of 
rock  appear,  they  have  been  worked  only  to  a  very  slight  extent,  and  for  the 
manufacture  of  lime  alone.  It  does  not  appear,  moreover,  from  the  nature  of 
of  the  rock  itself,  that  any  very  good  building  stone  will  ever  be  obtained  from 
the  most  of  these  outcrops.  In  many  parts  of  the  district,  the  erratic  boulders 
of  the  Drift  are  used  more  or  less  in  rough  masonry,  and  in  some  places  along 
the  Fox  river,  boulder  quarries,  so  to  speak,  are  worked  in  the  ridges  which 
have  been  mentioned  before,  as  being  largely  made  up  of  loose  masses  of  lime- 
stone rock. 

Good  clay  for  making  brick  is  found  in  most  parts  of  the  district,  although 
in  some  instances  the  same  difficulty  is  met  with  as  in  Cook  county — the  clay 
contains  too  large  a  proportion  of  lime  or  limestone  pebbles  to  make  a  good  arti- 
cle. The  prevailing  color  of  the  brick  made  in  this  district  is  red  or  reddish 
brown.  A  white  or  straw-colored  brick  is  made,  however,  at  Woodstock,  and 
at  McHenry,  in  McHenry  county.  At  Woodstock  the  clay  from  which  the 
white  brick  is  made  is  obtained  under  a  peat  bed,  and  may  possibly  be  a  sedi- 
mentary formation,  more  recent  than  the  Drift.  That  at  McHenry  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  belongs  to  the  Drift  proper.  The  same  clay  that  is  used  for 


134  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

making  the  white  brick  at  Woodstock,  is  used  also  for  the  manufacture  of  drain 

O  ' 

tile,  and  is  said  to  answer  well. 

Lime  is  burned  from  the  limestone  boulders,  which  are  abundant  in  many 
parts  of  the  district,  and  has  also  been  manufactured  from  some  of  the  limestone 
outcrops,  but  no  very  extensive  manufacture  of  it  has  been  attempted  in  either 
of  the  two  counties.  Sand  and  gravel,  for  mortar  and  concrete,  are  generally 
sufficiently  abundant  in  all  parts  of  the  district. 

Peat. — This  material  is  found,  in  a  greater  or  less  extent,  in  all  parts  of  the 
district,  but  the  most  extensive  deposits  are  found  in  its  northern  half.  The 
different  bogs  or  sloughs  in  which  these  deposits  exist,  are  so  numerous  and  scat- 
tered that  it  is  difficult  to  give  more  than  an  approximate  estimate  of  the  area 
they  occupy.  Perhaps,  taken  altogether,  four  or  five  thousand  acres  would  be 
a  sufficiently  low  estimate.  Only  a  few  of  the  sloughs  have  been  at  all  exam- 
ined as  to  the  quality  and  depth  of  the  beds. 

One  of  the  largest  of  the  sloughs  is  that  which  may  be  seen  in  sections  7 
and  8,  township  46,  range  7,  a  little  north  and  northeast  of  Hebron  station  on 
the  Rockford  and  Kenosha  division  of  the  Northwestern  railway.  From  this 
point  it  extends,  with  some  interruptions,  several  miles  in  a  general  southwest 
direction  to  the  Nippersink,  and  probably  occupies  altogether  an  area  equal  to 
two  or  three  square  miles.  The  depth,  when  I  was  able  to  observe  it,  averaged 
from  six  to  ten  feet;  the  peat  ranging  from  a  light,  fibrous  substance,  of  a  red- 
dish brown  color,  to  a  denser  dark  colored  material,  of  a  considerable  specific 
gravity,  when  dried. 

Most  of  the  other  sloughs  are  of  comparatively  small  size,  varying  from  one 
to  two  or  three  hundred  acres  in  extent.  In  the  eastern  part  of  Lake  county, 
the  low  and  marshy  tract  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  north  of  the  city 
of  Waukegan,  includes  in  its  area  a  large  proportion  of  peat  bog,  much  of  it 
of  considerable  depth.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the  area  in  the  district,  now 
occupied  by  these  deposits  of  peat,  is  so  situated  as  to  be  capable  of  drainage, 
and  nearly  all  can  be  made  use  of  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  for  the  purpose  of 
pasturage,  etc. 

In  regard  to  the  value  of  the  material  as  an  article  of  fuel,  we  have  the  tes- 
timony of  those  who  have  used  it,  generally  in  its  favor.  It  has  been  used  to  a 
considerable  extent  in  the  brick  and  tile  works  of  E.  B.  Durfee,  Esq.,  at  Wood- 
stock, both  in  the  kilns  and  in  the  furnace  of  a  stationary  steam  engine,  and  in 
both  cases  is  reported  to  have  given  entire  satisfaction.  I  am  not  aware  of  its 
having  been  made  use  of  for  these  purposes  at  any  other  place  in  the  district, 
but  it  has  been  used,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  for  domestic  firing,  in  various 
parts,  and  is  generally  said  to  answer  well.  It  use,  however,  in  most  places,  has 
been  only  experimental  as  yet,  and  it  will  probably  be  a  long  time  before  it  will 
come  into  general  use  as  a  fuel,  even  in  limited  districts.  In  some  portions  of 


MCHENRY    AND    LAKE    COUNTIES.  135 

the  district,  this  material  has  been  used  to  a  slight  extent  as  a  fertilizer,  and 
when  composted  with  other  substances  and  allowed  to  stand  for  a  season  before 
using,  it  has  been  found  beneficial  to  some  of  the  varieties  of  soil. 

None  of  the  more  useful  minerals  have  as  yet  been  discovered,  in  any  quan- 
tity, in  this  district,  nor  is  it  probable  that  any  extensive  deposits  will  ever  be 
discovered.  The  soil,  however,  is  generally  productive,  and  the  lands  in  all 
parts  of  the  district  are  generally  readily  accessible  to  good  markets.  Timber 
is  generally  abundant,  and,  except  in  the  vicinity  of  the  several  railroads, 
scarcely  less  so  than  when  the  country  was  first  settled. 

In  closing  this  report,  I  must  here  express  my  indebtedness  to  various  citi- 
zens of  McHenry  and  Lake  counties,  and  especially  to  Mr.  J.  W.  Milner,  of 
Waukegan,  for  kind  assistance  and  information  voluntarily  afforded  during  the 
prosecution  of  the  field  work  in  this  region. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

KENDALL  COUNTY. 

Kendall  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Kane  county,  on  the  east  by  Will 
county,  on  the  south  by  G-rundy  county,  and  on  the  west  by  LaSalle  and 
DeKalb  counties.  It  comprises  an  area  of  nine  townships,  or  about  three 
hundred  and  twenty-one  square  miles,  of  which  about  one-sixth  is  wooded  and 
the  remainder  is  prairie.  It  is  watered  by  the  Fox  river,  which  traverses  the 
northern  and  northwestern  portions  of  the  county,  and  by  several  smaller 
streams,  the  largest  of  which  are  the  AuSable  and  its  branches,  the  Blackberry, 
Big  Rock  and  Little  Rock  creeks.  The  water  supply  of  three  streams,  in  this 
county,  is  chiefly  derived  from  surface  drainage,  and  to  a  very  limited  extent 
only,  from  springs,  therefore  the  smaller  ones  are  nearly  or  quite  dry  during 
seasons  of  drouth. 

The  general  character  of  the  surface  of  the  country  in  this  county,  is  that  of 
an  undulating  prairie,  with  the  timbered  portion  either  in  isolated  groves,  or 
skirting  the  principal  streams.  Sloughs,  or  flat  damp  meadows,  frequently 
occupy  the  hollows  between  the  high  rolling  prairies,  but  are  not  often  of  any 
considerable  extent.  It  is  in  these  sloughs  that  most  of  the  streams  which 
head  in  this  county  take  their  rise.  Along  the  Fox  river,  which  flows  in  a 
valley  one  hundred  feet  or  more  below  the  general  surface,  the  country  is  more 
broken.  The  alluvial  bottom  lands  along  this  river,  are  nowhere  of  any  very 
considerable  extent,  being  seldom  of  more  than  half  a  mile  in  width,  and,  for 
much  of  its  course  through  this  county,  the  Fox  runs  through  precipitous 
banks  coming  to  the  water's  edge,  without  even  a  narow  strip  of  bottom 
land. 

The  principal  varieties  of  timber  found  in  this  county,  are  similar  to  those 
in  the  adjoining  counties.  On  the  uplands  we  find  the  woods  consisting  chiefly 
of  black,  white,  red,  and  burr  oak,  shell-bark  and  bitternut  hickory,  black 
walnut,  butternut,  white  and  slippery  elm,  white  ash,  iron  wood,  white  and 
sugar  maple,  and  on  the  lower  grounds,  in  addition  to  the  most  of  these,  we 
find  black  ash,  cottonwood,  and  occasionally  a  sycamore.  The  red  cedar  is 
also  frequent  along  the  banks  of  Fox  river,  though  it  forms  no  large  portion 
of  the  timber.  The  undergrowth  is  pretty  constantly  of  hazel,  with  wild  plum, 


KENDALL   COUNTY.  137 

crab-apple,  and  other  small  trees.  The  soil  of  the  timbered  tracts  is  generally 
light  colored,  sometimes  sandy,  or  gravelly  clay,  often  somewhat  darkened  in  color 
by  an  admixture  of  vegetable  matter.  On  the  prairies,  the  soil  is  mainly  a 
dark  colored  mould,  but  containing  in  some  places  a  proportion  of  sand  and 
clay,  especially  near  the  borders  of  the  streams  and  woods.  The  depth  of  this 
soil  varies  from  one  to  three  feet. 

The  deposits  of  the  Drift  epoch  in  this  county,  are  in  all  respects  a  continu- 
ation of  the  region  adjoining  on  the  north,  and  over  the  greater  portion  of  it, 
will  probably  average  very  nearly  the  same  thickness,  viz :  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred  feet.  In  the  extreme  southern  portion  of  the  county,  there  are  dis- 
tricts where  these  deposits  are  comparatively  quite  thin,  but  over  by  far  the 
greater  part,  they  are  seldom  passed  through  by  even  the  deepest  wells.  Ex- 
cepting the  Fox  river,  and  the  AuSable,  none  of  the  streams  cut  down  to  the 
older  rocks  for  any  great  part  of  their  course,  although  they  sometimes  have 
cut  ravines  sixty  or  eighty  feet  belew  the  general  level  of  the  country.  The 
beds  of  this  age  consist  here,  as  elsewhere,  of  blue  and  yellow  clays  and  hard- 
pan,  with  occasional  seams  of  quick-sand  and  gravel,  and  frequent  boulders. 
In  two  places  in  this  county,  I  have  noticed  faint  glacial  striae  on  the  exposed 
surface  of  the  underlying  beds  of  the  older  rocks.  One  of  these  was  on  Big 
Rock  creek,  near  the  southern  half  of  section  1,  township  37,  range  6  east, 
where  the  top  of  the  uppermost  strata  of  an  exposure  of  Niagara  limestone 
was  worn  smooth  and  covered  with  faint  scratches,  running  in  the  direction 
south  60°  east.  The  other  locality,  was  in  about  the  center  of  section  9,  town- 
ship 35,  range  8,  where  a  ledge  of  limestone  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  appears  in, 
the  bed  of  the  AuSable  creek.  At  this  point  the  direction  of  the  striae  was 
different,  being  about  southwest. 

Along  the  Fox  river,  the  materials  of  the  Drift  appear  to  have  undergone  a 
sifting,  and  reasserting  process,  by  the  action  of  the  river,  the  bluffs  frequently 
presenting  sections  of  roughly  stratified  sand,  coarse  gravel  and  boulders,  with 
sometimes  a  bed  containing  fossil  fresh  water  shells  of  existing  species.  A 
good  section  of  this  modified  Drift  material,  is  afforded  by  the  cutting  down  of 
the  bluff  for  the  grade  of  a  road  near  the  center  of  section  4,  township  36, 
range  6,  about  ten  and  a-half  miles  south  of  Piano,  where  also  a  bed  of  shell 
marl  is  to  be  seen,  intercalated  between  very  irregular  layers  of  sand,  gravel 
and  limestone  boulders. 

Of  the  older  geological  formations,  we  have  the  following  named  in  descend- 
ing order: 

1.  Coal  Measures. 

2.  Niagara  Group.     Buff,  drab,  and  brown  impure  limestones,  with  frequent 
nodules  of  chert.     Aggregate  thickness  in  this  county,  probably  between  fifty 
and  seventy  feet. 

—18 


.« 


138 


GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 


MONTGOMERY '-, 


A'/INC  COUNTY  UN£ 


3.  Cincinnati  Group.     Gray  and  bluish  limestones,  with  green   and   blue 
shales.     Total  thickness,  not  over  two  hundred  feet. 

4.  Galena  and  Trenton  Limestone.     Porous  yellowish  lime- 
stone, with  some  bluish  beds  near  the  base,  and  beds  of  passage 
into  the  next  formation  below.     Total  thickness  estimated  at 
I  about  two  hundred  feet. 

|     5.  St.  Peters  Sandstone.     Very  incoherent  white  sandstone, 
§  brought  up  by  anticlinals. 

The  accompanying  reduced  section,  taken  along  the  Fox  river 
in  its  course  through  this  county,  shows  all  of  these  formations, 
except  the  first.  The  only  outcrops  of  the  St.  Peters  sandstone, 
are  where  it  is  brought  up  by  anticlinals  on  the  lower  course  of 
the  river  in  this  county,  as  represented  in  the  section. 

The  coal  measures  probably  underlie  a  small  area  of  not  more 
than  three  or  four  square  miles  in  extent,  in  the  extreme  south- 
western corner  of  the  county.  The  underlying  rocks  are 
nowhere  exposed  above  ground  in  this  vicinity,  but  the  exist- 
ence here  of  deposits  of  this  age,  is  inferred  from  the  strike 
J  and  dip  of  the  exposures  in  the  adjoining  counties  of  LaSalle 
•fc  and  Grundy,  and  not  from  any  evidence  afforded  within  the 
i  limits  of  this  county.  It  seems  highly  probable,  however,  from 
;  the  fragments  of  coal,  etc.,  found  in  this  Drift,  that  at  one  time 
most  of  the  southern  portion  of  Kendall  county  was  overlaid  by 
deposits  of  this  age,  which  have  been  carried  off  by  erosion 
during  the  Drift  period,  and  it  is  possible  that  small  outliers 
may  still  exist,  under  the  heavy  bed  of  Drift  clay  and  gravel 
which  overlies  nearly  the  whole  surface  of  the  county.  The 
only  exposure  which  can  in  any  way  be  referred  to  this  period, 
is  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  16,  township  35,  range  8, 
very  near  the  section  line  between  sections  15  and  16,  where  we 
find  a  thin  bedded  bluish  sandstone,  overlying  the  gray  fossilif- 
erous  limestones  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  in  the  bed  of  the  Au- 
Sable  at  this  point.  The  sandstone  can  be  traced  for  only  a  few 
rods,  and  the  exposure  is  in  no  place  good,  it  being  generally 
almost  buried  in  mud  and  water.  In  making  an  excavation  on 
|  the  bank  of  the  creek  at  this  point,  Mr.  House,  the  owner  of  the 
land,  found  many  fragments  of  coal,  with  fire  clay,  and  fossil 
plants,  underlying  a  yellowish  rotten  limestone  reported  to  be 
four  feet  thick,  which  seemed  more  like  a  mass  of  loose  frag- 

5  ments  washed  together,  than  like  a  bed  of  rock  in  place.     About 

i! 

j  a  mile  north  of  this  point,  the  rocks  of  the  Cincinnati  group 

again  appear,  no  intermediate  exposures  being  seen. 


POSTS  MILLS- 


KENDALL  COUNTY.  139 

Niagara  Group. — This  formation,  judging  from  the  outcrops,  occupies  a  con- 
siderable area  in  the  northern  and  northeastern  portion  of  the  county.  From, 
the  scarcity  of  outcrops,  however,  it  is  difficult  to  bound  this  area  with  exact- 
ness, the  junction  between  it  and  the  next,  being  only  seen  on  the  Fox  river  at 
Oswego.  Its  southern  border  may  be  approximately  represented  by  a  line 
entering  the  county  in  the  northeast  corner  of  section  18,  township  37,  range 
6,  and  running  in  a  direction  a  little  south  of  east,  to  the  Fox  river,  at  Oswego, 
then  bearing  gradually  more  and  more  to  the  southward,  until  it  leaves  the 
county  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  township  36,  range  8.  The  general  direc- 
tion of  this  border  line  of  the  formation,  is  inferred  from  widely  separated 
outcrops,  some  of  them  outside  of  the  limits  of  Kendall  county. 

At  Esq.  Shontz's  quarry,  on  Big  Rock  creek,  near  the  centre  of  the  southern 
half  of  section  1,  township  37,  range  6,  about  twelve  feet  of  the  regularly  bed- 
ded light  buff,  or  drab  limestone  of  this  group  is  exposed.  It  here  contains 
much  chert  in  irregular  seams  and  concretions,  especially  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  exposure,  the  upper  two  or  three  feet  being  almost  entirely  free  from  this 
substance.  Above  the  quarry,  at  the  milldam,this  rock  forms  the  bank  of  the 
creek,  in  ledges  rising  some  seven  or  eight  feet  above  the  water,  and  may  still 
be  seen  above  water  for  about  thirty  rods  above  the  dam.  Farther  up  stream, 
the  rock  continues  under  the  bed  of  the  creek  to  beyond  the  county  line,  but  is 
not  again  exposed  in  the  bank  in  this  county.  Below  the  quarry,  it  appears  in 
the  bed  of  the  creek  for  between  a  quarter  and  a  half  a  mile,  before  finally  dis- 
appearing entirely,  and  at  several  points  within  this  distance,  there  are  limit- 
ed exposures  in  the  banks.  In  none  of  these  exposures  is  there  any  noticeable 
dip  of  the  strata,  and  the  level  surface  of  the  upper  beds  in  the  quarry,  is  cov- 
ered with  the  glacial  strise,  which  have  been  already  mentioned  in  the  preced- 
ing pages.  Fossils  are  not  abundant  in  any  of  these  localities,  but  Holy  sites 
catcnularia,  Favosites  favosus,  Calymene  Blumenbachii,  an  lllsenus,  and  a  few 
other  species  were  collected. 

Eastward  from  this  point,  no  prominent  exposures  or  ledges  of  rock  are  met 
with,  until  the  Fox  river  is  reached.  At  the  point  where  the  river  crosses  the 
Kendall  county  line,  just  below  the  village  of  Montgomery,  a  ledge  of  yellowish 
limestone  containing  much  chert,  appears  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  rising 
to  a  hight  of  seven  or  eight  feet  above  the  water's  edge.  From  this  point 
down  stream  nearly  to  Oswego,  there  is  very  little  exposure,  the  rock  appearing 
only  below  high  water  mark,  and  in  the  bed  of  the  stream.  Just  north  of  the 
village,  near  the  southern  line  of  section  8,  township  37,  range  8,  the  thin  bed- 
ded limestone  of  this  group  is  quarried  in  the  bottom  and  sides  of  a  small  ra- 
vine. The  lower  eight  or  ten  feet  of  the  rock,  which  is  quarried  near  the  river 
bank,  is  mainly  of  a  light  buff  color,  with  some  portions  of  the  strata  approach- 
ing to  gray,  and  with  a  few  thin  seams  of  bluish  cherty  rock  very  nearly  resem- 


140  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

bling  true  chert  in  appearance,  and  breaking  with  its  conchoidal  fracture. 
Farther  up  the  ravine,  we  find  above  this,  six  or  seven  feet  of  a  rather  darker 
colored,  thin  bedded  limestone  exposed.  No  fossils  were  obtained  from  any  of 
the  beds  in  this  locality. 

Across  the  river  from  this  point,  there  is  a  rather  more  extensive  quarry  in 
apparently  the  same  bed  of  limestone,  which  is  worked,  both  for  building  stone* 
and  for  material  for  the  manufacture  of  lime. 

In  the  village  of  Oswego,  in  a  perpendicular  face  of  rock  on  the  bank  of 
Waubansia  creek,  a  few  rods  below  the  bridge,  about  five  feet  of  the  low- 
ermost beds  of  the  Niagara  limestone  may  be  seen,  resting  directly  upon  the 
strata  of  the  Cincinnati  group.  The  rock  here  is  a  brownish,  ferruginous  lime- 
stone, and  contains  a  few  fossils,  chiefly  corals,  Stromatopora  concentrica,  and  a 
Zaphrentis,  being  most  abundant.  Thin  seams  of  chert  traverse  the  rock  here, 
as  in  the  other  localities.  The  dip  of  the  strata  here  is  to  the  eastward,  about 
three  or  four  degrees,  thus  bringing  to  view  a  greater  thickness  of  these  beds 
further  up  the  stream.  A  little  above  the  bridge,  near  the  lime  kiln,  and  still 
farther  up,  there  cannot  be  less  than  twenty  feet  in  exposed  vertical  thickness, 
of  the  Niagara  limestone,  in  the  sides  of  the  ravine. 

The  only  remaining  exposure  of  rocks  of  Niagara  age  in  this  county,  is  on 
Waubansia  creek,  in  the  northern  part  of  section  16,  a  little  over  a  mile  from 
Oswego.  At  this  point,  the  rock  underlies  the  prairie  at  a  very  slight  depth, 
over  an  area,  probably,  of  several  acres,  and  is  exposed  in  the  bed  of  the  creek, 
and  in  the  artificial  excavations  of  the  quarries.  This  exposure  is  of  a  light 
buff  or  drab,  thin  bedded  limestone,  containing  some  shaly  layers.  It  also  con- 
tains, in  some  of  the  upper  layers,  many  small  nodules  of  iron  pyrites.  The 
whole  depth  of  the  excavations  in  the  rock  at  this  place,  was  not  more  than 
four  feet  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  and  for  this  reason  I  could  not  compare  this 
exposure  with  some  others  in  this  county,  as  satisfactorily  as  I  could  wish,  but 
I  consider  it  as  higher  in  the  formation  than  any  of  them,  probably  fifty  feet  or 
more  above  the  base. 

Fossils  were  neither  abundant  or  well  preserved  at  this  locality ;  a  few  frag- 
ments of  Trilobites  and  corals  only,  were  collected. 

Cincinnati  Group — This  formation  occupies  a  considerable  area,  lying  south 
and  west  of  that  underlaid  by  the  Niagara  group,  equal,  perhaps,  in  extent  to 
one-third  of  the  whole  superficial  area  of  the  county.  Its  western  border  would, 
perhaps,  be  nearly  represented  by  a  line  running  from  north,  northwest  to 
south,  southeast,  and  crossing  the  Fox  river  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
35,  township  37,  range  6.  The  line  of  junction  between  it  and  the  formation 
next  below,  is  not  shown  anywhere  in  Kendall  county. 

The  upper  beds  of  this  formation  are  well  exposed  at  Oswego,  directly  under- 
lying the  lowermost  strata  of  the  Niagara  group .  The  following  section  of  these 


KENDALL   COUNTY.  141 

beds,  was  taken  on  Waubansia  creek,  in  the  same  place  which  has  been  already 
noticed  as  a  locality  of  the  Niagara  lower  beds.  Commencing  at  the  base  of 
the  Niagara  limestone,  about  five  feet  below  the  top  of  the  bank,  the  strata 
were  as  follows  : 

FEET. 

1.  Gray,  or  bluish  gray  limestone,  with  chert,  apparently  destitute  of  fossil  remains 3 

2-  Gray  limestone 7 

3.  Soft  bluish  shale 1 

4.  Gray  limestone 2 

A  little  farther  down  the  creek,  the  gray  limestone,  (No.  4),  is  better  devel- 
oped, and  contains  many  fossils.  The  rock  is  a  hard,  sub-crystalline,  thin  bed- 
ded limestone,  with  even,  thin  shaly  layers,  and  is  considerably  quarried  at  this 
point,  as  a  material  for  the  rougher  kinds  of  masonry.  The  most  abundant 
fossils  in  this  locality  are,  Tentaculites  Oswegoensis,  Rynchonella  copax,  Orthis 
occidentaiis^  Orthis  bellarutjosa,  Strophomena  alternata,  S.  deltoidea,  Chsetetes 
petropolitana,  and  various  crinoidal  remains.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
from  the  village,  at  the  western  extremity  of  the  bridge,  there  is  also  an  expo- 
sure of  about  twelve  feet  in  vertical  thickness,  of  thin  bedded,  grayish  lime- 
stone, containing,  at  this  point,  considerable  chert  in  lenticular  and  irregularly 
flattened  masses.  It  has  been  quarried  here  to  some  extent,  and  has  afforded 
some  very  fine  crinoids.  These  same  beds  of  grayish,  cherty  limestone,  con- 
tinued to  be  exposed  in  ledges  near  the  water's  edge,  on  both  sides  of  the  river, 
for  some  little  distance  below  the  bridge,  but  are  not  quarried  elsewhere. 

Below  Otiwego,  along  the  Fox,  the  beds  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  with  occa- 
sional interruptions,  continue  to  appear  in  the  bank  of  the  river.  The  expo- 
sures are  of  shale,  with  thin  beds  of  limestone  more  or  less  abundant,  and  in 
many  places,  indeed,  the  limestone  forms  the  greater  part  of  the  outcrop,  the 
shale  only  appearing  as  partings  between  the  thin  beds  of  stone.  Tn  a  few 
places,  the  exposures  consist  entirely  of  bluish  shale,  as,  for  instance,  in  the 
bed  of  Morgan  creek,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  section  27,  township  37,  range 
7.  The  beds  of  limestone  are  rarely  sufficiently  heavy  to  afford  a  good  mate- 
rial for  building,  and  are  therefore  worked  in  very  few  places.  The  thin  plates 
of  limestone  are  often  covered  with  the  more  abundant  fossils  of  this  formation, 
as,  Rhyncli.  capax,  Orthis  occidentalis,  Orth.  testudinaria,  LeptsK.ua  sericca, 
Strophomena  alternata,  Ch&tetes,  etc.  At  Yorkville  and  Bristol,  these  thin 
beds  of  limestone  are  exposed  at  the  ordinary  stage  of  water,  along  the  bank  of 
the  river,  and  contain  the  same  fossils  as  the  exposures  above. 

At  the  inilldam,  on  Blackberry  creek,  in  the  village  of  Bristol,  about  ten 
feet  perpendicular  of  grayish,  crystalline  limestone,  with  some  hard,  bluish, 
shaly  rock,  is  exposed.  •  About  thirty  rods  above,  on  the  southern  bank,  is  a 
small  quarry,  in  which  about  four  feet  of  the  limestone  is  exposed.  The  beds 


142  GEOLOGY   OF    ILLINOIS. 

of  this  limestone  are  here  of  sufficient  thickness  to  afford  a  tolerable  material 
for  foundations  and  rough  walls.  Its  color  is  a  dark  grayish  blue,  on  weathered 
surfaces,  sometimes  appearing  buff  or  brown.  In  this  locality,  besides  the  spe- 
cies already  noticed  as  abundant  in  other  beds,  there  are  found  many  large 
Orthocerata,  and  a  great  abundance  of  Ambonychia,  together  with  numerous 
fragments  of  Trilobites.  The  limestone,  with  some  intercalated  beds  of  bluish 
shale,  continues  to  appear  in  the  bed  of  the  creek  for  upwards  of  half  a  mile 
above  this  point,  before  it  finally  disappears  under  the  Drift. 

Below  Yorkville  and  Bristol,  I  observed  ledges  of  this  formation  continuing, 
with  occasional  interruptions,  along  the  banks  of  the  river  for  nearly  three 
miles,  and  presenting  much  the  same  appearance  as  those  already  described,  as 
occurring  along  the  river  above  Yorkville,  but  with,  perhaps,  a  greater  predomi- 
nance of  shale,  as  compared  with  the  limestone.  Just  below  Yorkville,  the 
river  bank  shows  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  vertical  exposure  of  crumbling 
shale  and  rock,  and  an  equal  amount  may  be  observed  at  other  points  below. 
Some  of  the  thin  layers  of  rotten  limeston  at  this  exposure,  are  extraordinarily 
rich  in  certain  species  of  fossils,  .chiefly  Trilobites,  Calymene  senaria,  Asaphus, 
etc.  The  last  appearance  of  these  beds,  down  stream,  is  at  a  point  not  quite  three 
miles  below  Yorkville,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  36,  township  37, 
range  6. 

The  outcrops  of  this  formation  which  remain  to  be  described  in  this  county, 
are  on  the  AuSable  creek,  in  township  35,  range  8.  The  intermediate  prairie  is 
entirely  destitute  of  outcrops,  and,  except  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Au- 
Sable and  Fox,  no  rock  in  place  has  been  reached  by  any  artificial  excavation. 
The  northernmost  of  the  outcrops  of  this  group  on  the  AuSable,  occurs  in  the 
bed  of  the  creek,  very  near  the  center  of  section  9,  and  is  only  visible  at  low 
water.  The  ledge,  which  is  of  very  limited  extent,  is  of  an  apparently  massive 
gray  crystalline  limestone,  containing  a  few  characteristic  fossils,  among  which 
I  noticed  Rhynchonella  capax  and  one  or  two  other  brachiopods.  The  upper 
surface  is  smooth,  and  covered  with  faint  striae,  which  have  been  already  noticed 
in  the  remarks  on  the  Drift  of  this  county.  The  next  appearance  of  the  rocks 
of  this  age,  is  at  the  crossing  of  the  county  road,  on  the  center  of  the  western 
line  of  section  15.  Here  the  bed  of  the  stream  at  the  ford,  and  for  a  few  rods 
above  and  below,  is  composed  of  a  thinly-bedded,  highly  fossiliferous,  light 
gray  limestone,  the  beds  dipping  slightly  (8°  or  9°)  to  the  northeast.  The  fos- 
sils here  are  the  same  as  in  the  other  localities  described.  About  half  a  mile, 
in  a  direction  a  little  east  of  north,  from  this  place,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  10,  limestone,  apparently  the  same  as  that  exposed  in  the  bed  of  the 
AuSable,  was  reached  at  a  depth  of  ten  feet,  in  digging  a  well. 

In  the  bed  of  the  AuSable,  near  the  southern  line  of  section  15,  a  dark  col- 
ored shale,  or  shaly  limestone,  is  exposed,  which  affords  many  fossils.  A  little 


KENDALL   COUNTY.  143 

further  down  stream,  at  the  ford  and  below,  the  bed  of  the  creek  is  composed 
of  a  bluish-gray,  thin-bedded  limestone,  which  is  likewise  fossiliferous.  By  a 
boring  which  was  made  by  Mr.  Durst,  at  his  place,  near  the  center  of  the  west- 
ern line  of  section  22,  and  half  a  mile  from  the  creek,  the  following  section  was 
afforded  : 

fEKT. 

1.  Surface  soil  and  clay 7 

2.  Hard,  bluish-gray  limestone — reported  by  Mr.  Durst  to  be  the  same  as  that  occurring 
at  the  crossing  of  the  AuSable,  half  a  mile  west 17 

3.  Hard,  thin-bedded,  bluish  limestone,  with  shaly  partings,  said  to  contain,  in  its  upper 
portion,  about  two  inches  of  black,  coaly  matter,  probably  bituminous  shale 54 

I  have  not  positively  identified  the  lowest  beds  (No.  3)  of  this  section,  in  any 
of  the  surface  outcroppings  along  the  creek,  although  they  probably  appear  at 
some  points  in  its  bed  farther  down  stream,  in  this  or  the  adjoining  county. 

Below,  this  point,  the  rock  does  not  appear  continuously  in  the  bottom  and 
banks  of  the  stream,  but  is  covered  in  most  places  with  mud  and  gravel.  The 
nearest  points  where  it  appears  prominently  in  the  bed  of  the  creek,  are  the 
southwest  corner  of  section  23  and  the  center  of  section  27.  In  both  of  these 
places,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  the  stage  of  water  was  such  that  the  strata  were 
not  visible,  but,  from  pieces  thrown  out  upon  the  bank,  I  considered  the  rock 
in  this  place  to  be  the  same  as  that  in  the  localities  above  named.  Further 
down  stream,  at  the  crossing  of  the  old  stage  road  from  Joliet  to  Ottawa,  just 
west  of  the  center  of  section  34,  I  observed  ledges  of  thin-bedded  limestone 
appearing  in  the  bank,  to  the  hight  of  three  feet  or  more  above  the  water.  The 
upper  beds  are  light  gray,  inclining  to  a  buff  color,  while  some  of  the  lower 
layers  are  dark  gray  and  bluish.  At  the  county  line,  a  half  mile  further  south, 
rock  again  appears  in  the  bed  of  the  creek — a  highly  fossiliferous,  bituminous 
limestone,  dark  colored,  almost  black  on  freshly  fractured  surfaces.  The  gen- 
eral dip  of  the  strata,  in  all  these  localities,  is  toward  the  northeast,  although  it 
is  so  slight  as  not  to  be  everywhere  apparent. 

Trenton  Group. — This  formation,  consisting,  as  has  been  stated,  of  heavy- 
bedded,  yellowish  and  blue  limestone,  occupies  all  of  that  portion  of  the  county 
which  has  not  already  been  described  as  underlaid  by  the  more  recent  forma- 
tions, with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  a  very  small  fraction  of  township  35,  range 
6,  in  the  southwestern  part,  which  may  be  underlaid  by  the  St.  Peters  sandstone. 
Its  outcrops  are  confined  to  the  banks  of  Fox  river,  and  a  small  area  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county,  in  township  35,  ranges  6  and  7. 

At  Post's  mills,  near  the  mouth  of  Big  Rock  creek,  in  the  southwestern  part 
of  section  34,  township  37,  range  6,  a  quarry  has  been  opened  in  this  rock,  to 
a  depth  of  almost  five  feet.  It  is  here  a  light  buffer  yellowish,  porous  limestone, 
the  more  solid  portions  showing  a  grayish  hue  on  freshly  fractured  surfaces. 
The  beds  lie  apparently  level,  as  no  dip  in  any  direction  is  perceptible  at  this 


144  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

point.  The  same  beds  appear  in  the  bed  of  Little  Rock  creek,  near  the 
quarry,  and  have  been  uncovered  at  one  time,  half  a  mile  further  up  the  stream^ 
though  not  now  visible.  Fossils  were  rare  at  this  quarry,  and  when  found 
were  generally  ill  preserved.  A  few  fragmentary  Murchisonia  and  Pleuroto- 
maria,  only,  were  obtained. 

Above  this  place,  according  to  Mr.  Post,  this  limestone  may  be  found  in  the 
bed  of  the  Fox,  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  Rob  Roy  creek,  in  the  southwestern 
quarter  of  section  35,  township  37,  range  6,  and  it  appears  in  a  ledge,  visible  at 
low  water,  in  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  in  the  southwestern  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 34. 

About  half  a  mile  below  Post's  mills,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  in  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  3,  township  36,  range  6,  there  is  another  quarry,  on 
the  eastern  side  of  a  small  knoll  which  rises  a  few  feet  above  the  general  sur- 
face of  the  bottom  land.  In  this  quarry  I  observed  the  beds  dipping  towards 
all  points  of  the  compass,  from  north  around  to  south  by  the  east,  and,  from 
appearances,  it  seems  probable  that  if  the  rock  was  exposed  on  the  western  slope 
of  the  knoll,  it  would  be  found  dipping  in  that  direction  also.  One  or  two  other 
similar  knolls,  or  slight  elevations,  occur  within  a  short  distance  from  this,  and 
in  one  of  them,  also,  the  rock  has  been  quarried  and  presents  similar  appear- 
ances. The  rock  is  the  same  as  that  worked  at  Post's  mills,  a  porous,  yellowish 
limestone,  full  of  traces  of  organisms,  but  affording  very  few  well  preserved 
fossils.  Those  collected  here  were  mostly  imperfect  casts  of  lllsenus,  Pleurotuma- 
ria,  Murchisonia,  Subulites,  and  one  or  two  small  fragments  of  Zaphrentis  and 
Receptaculites. 

Nearly  half  a  mile  further  down  stream,  at  Black  Hawk's  Cave,  in  the  eastern 
part  of  section  4,  the  river  cuts  through  a  ledge  of  this  limestone,  of  which 
about  16  feet  in  thickness  is  here  exposed.  Black  Hawk's  Cave  is  a  name  giv- 
en to  a  natural  crevice  or  a  small  cave  in  the  rock,  which  formerly  extended 
back  into  the  ledge  for  some  little  distance,  but  which,  with  several  other  sim- 
ilar cavities  in  this  ledge,  has  now  been  almost  or  entirely  destroyed  by  the 
quarrying  of  the  stone  for  the  construction  of  a  dam  across  the  river  at  this 
point.  At  the  northern  edge  of  the  exposure,  the  strata  dip  down  at  an  angle 
of  five  or  six  degrees.  At  the  other  side,  on  the  contrary,  the  beds  break  off 
abruptly.  On  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  the  outcrops  continue  a  few  roda 
further  down  stream  before  disappearing  entirely.  The  next  appearance  of  the 
rock  is  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  in  the  eastern  part  of  section  8,  where  it 
is  quarried  for  building  purposes.  It  is  here,  as  in  the  other  localites,  a  light 
yellowish,  porous  limestone,  crumbling  in  some  of  the  uppermost  layers,  but 
becoming  more  solid  and  better,  as  a  building  material,  the  deeper  it  is  worked. 
It  contains  numerous  nodules  of  chert,  and  casts  of  fossils,  seldom,  however, 
sufficiently  perfect  to  be  at  once  recognizable  as  to  species. 


KENDALL   COUNTY.  145 

Below  this  place  for  some  distance  the  strata  of  this  age  are  met  with  and 
are  doubtless  tilted  up  by  a  small  anticlinal,  the  crest  of  which  has  most  probably 
been  eroded  away.  The  evidence  of  this  fold  is  in  the  existence  of  an  exposure 
of  the  underlying  St.  Peters  sandstone  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  in  the 
southeastern  quarter  of  section  seventeen,  and  above  the  next  exposure  of  the 
Trenton  group,  and  not  by  any  decided  dip  of  the  strata  in  any  direction. 

One  mile  above  Milford,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  is  Brodie's  quarry, 
where  a  thickness  of  over  twelve  feet  of  the  rock  is  exposed,  a  bluish-gray  porous 
limestone,  the  lowermost  beds  the  darkest  in  shade  of  color.  This  exposure  is 
on  the  northeastern  slope  of  still  another  anticlinal  than  that  one  before  men- 
tioned, the  strata  having  an  inclination  of  between  twelve  and  fifteen  degrees 
in  the  direction  north  60°  east.  This  is  further  proved  by  exposures  of  St. 
Peters  sandstone  along  the  river  bluffs  immediately  below  this  point.  Imme- 
diately above,  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  the  limestone  may  be  seen  for  a  short 
distance,  the  beds  becoming  less  inclined  and  finally  appearing  nearly  horizontal. 
Still  farther  down  the  river,  below  this  fold,  nearly  on  the  north  line  of  section 
thirty,  and  between  one-fourth  and  one-half  a  mile  above  Milford,  on  the  right 
hand  bank,  I  observed  the  following  section : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Coarse  porous  yellowish  limestone 3     6 

2.  Hard  silicious  rock,  resembling  quartzite 0     6 

3.  Light  gray  or  drab  argillaceous  shales,  with  thin  layers  of  rock,  same  as  No.  2  26 

4.  Light  colored  shaly  bed 2  to  4 

5.  Impure  yellowish  limestone 3    "   5 

The  arrangement  of  the  strata  in  this  exposure  is  very  irregular,  and  their 
order  is  somewhat  changed,  even  within  a  distance  of  only  a  few  feet  from  the 
point  where  this  section  was  taken.  I  am  at  present  inclined  to  consider  these 
beds,  as  very  near  the  base  of  the  Trenton,  close  to  the  junction  with  the  St. 
Peters  sandstone,  and  possibly  indicating  something  like  beds  of  passage 
between  the  two  formations. 

The  remaining  outcrops  of  this  group  in  this  county,  are  to  be  found  in  the 
southern  part  of  township  35,  ranges  7  and  6.  The  westernmost  of  these  occurs 
on  the  land  of  Mr.  J.  Bushnell,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  36,  town- 
ship 35,  range  6,  a  little  over  half  a  mile  south  of  the  village  of  Lisbon.  The 
rock  is  exposed  in  the  bed  of  a  small  rivulet  at  two  points,  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  apart.  The  most  southern  of  these  exposures,  is  of  a  soft,  brown,  porous, 
decomposing  limestone;  in  the  other,  the  rock  is  harder,  and  contains  consider- 
able chert.  A  fragment  of  a  Recept acuities,  and  one  or  two  other  indistinct 
casts  of  fossils  only,  were  collected  here.  The  next  nearest  exposure  is  at 
Morris's  stone  quarry,  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  thirty,  township  35, 
range  7,  where  the  rock  appears  at  the  surface  of  the  ground  on  one  of  the 
—19 


146  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

higher  undulations  of  the  prairie,  and  has  been  quarried  for  building  purposes 
to  the  depth  of  about  six  feet.  It  is  an  unevenly  bedded,  porous,  yellowish  or 
buff  limestone,  very  similar  to  that,  described  on  the  Fox  river  at  Post's  mills, 
and  like  that,  contains  very  few  good  fossils.  The  strata  here  appeared  to  be 
nearly  or  quite  horizontal. 

A  little  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Lisbon  village,  in  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  29,  the  same  beds  have  been  again  quarried,  on  the  land  of 
Mr.  S.  Peterson.  About  half  a  mile  south  of  this  quarry,  on  the  banks  of  a 
small  run,  I  noticed  many  freshly  quarried  fragments,  which  had  been  taken 
out  of  its  bed,  but  the  strata  in  place  were  not  visible  at  the  time  of  my  visit. 
The  stone  was  similar  in  all  respects  to  that  already  described,  but  was  alto- 
gether richer  in  organic  remains,  containing  very  many  epecimens  of  Receptacu- 
lites,  Zaphrentis,  Orthis  testudinaria,  and  various  other  fossils.  Still  farther 
down  the  course  of  the  same  run,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  section  thirty-two, 
just  below  the  crossing  of  the  county  road,  I  saw  low  ledges  of  thin  bedded 
yellow  or  buff  limestone,  extending  for  a  few  rods  in  the  banks  of  the  stream. 

East  of  these  localities,  no  beds  of  rock  appear  above  the  surface  of  the 
prairie,  for  between  two  and  three  miles,  though  it  is  evidently  not  buried  very 
deeply.  The  nearest  exposure  in  this  direction  north  of  the  county  line,  is 
nearly  in  the  center  of  the  northern  part  of  section  thirty-five,  on  the  land  of 
Mr.  Lewis  Sherrill,  who  has  opened  a  quarry  for  building  stone  at  this  point 
The  rock  is  the  same  as  at  the  localities  farther  west.  Though  not  perceptible 
to  the  eye,  the  rocks  here  have  a  slight  dip  to  the  eastward,  not  more,  probably, 
than  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  a  mile.  The  most  eastern  point  where  the  rock 
appears  at  the  surface,  is  half  a  mile  east  of  Mr.  Sherrill's,  in  a  small  ravine  in 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  thirty-five,  and  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion twenty-six.  Still  farther  east,  it  has  only  been  struck  in  wells. 

St.  Peters  Sandstone. — From  observations  made  in  the  adjoining  parts  of 
LaSalle  county,  it  seems  probable  that  a  small  area  in  the  western  part  of  town- 
ship 35,  range  6,  is  underlaid  by  this  formation.  The  tract  thus  underlaid  is 
of  very  inconsiderable  extent,  at  most,  probably  not  more  than  one  or  two 
square  miles,  and  includes  portions  of  sections  eighteen,  nineteen  and  thirty,  in 
the  western  part  of  the  township.  The  only  exposures  of  this  sandstone  in 
the  county,  are  those  which  have  been  incidentally  mentioned  in  the  remarks 
on  the  Trenton  group,  in  the  preceding  pages,  as  occurring  along  the  Fox  river 
In  the  center  of  the  southern  part  of  section  19,  township  36,  range  6,  on  the 
western  bank  of  the  river,  the  principal  one  of  these  exposures  occurs,  the  sand- 
stone being  brought  up  by  an  anticlinal,  forming  the  base  of  the  arch,  and  is 
exposed  in  excavations  in  the  side  of  the  bluff  for  thirty  feet  or  more  above 
the  water.  It  is  here  as  elsewhere  in  this  part  of  the  State,  a  soft  incoherent 
mass  of  white  sand,  hardly  deserving  the  name  of  sandstone,  so  soft,  indeed,  as 


KENDALL   COUNTY.  147 

to  be  easily  excavated  at  some  points  with  a  common  spade.  Another  exposure 
of  the  same  material  in  a  similar  situation,  was  observed  higher  up  stream,  on 
the  eastern  bank  in  the  southern  part  of  section  seventeen. 

Economical     Geology. 

Building  Stone. — From  what  has  been  stated  in  the  preceding  pages,  it  will 
be  seen,  that  Kendall  county  is  well  supplied  with  building  stone,  although  the 
finer  qualities,  suitable  for  cut  stone  and  ornamental  work,  are  generally  want- 
ing. The  proximity,  however,  of  the  excellent  quarries  at  Batavia  and  Joliet, 
will  make  up  for  this  deficiency.  The  limestones  of  the  Niagara  group,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  county,  afford  a  good  material  for  rough  walls,  founda- 
tions, etc.,  and  have  been  used  to  some  extent  for  general  building  purposes, 
though  the  beds  are  not  always  of  sufficient  thickness  to  supply  the  better 
qualities.  At  Mr.  Shontz's  quarry,  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  county,  blocks 
of  considerable  size  are  sometimes  obtained,  but  in  many  instances  contain  so 
much  chert  as  to  seriously  impair  their  quality.  The  limestone  beds  of  the 
Cincinnati  group,  which  have  been  quarried  to  some  extent  along  the  Fox  river, 
at  Oswego  and  Bristol,  and  also  on  the  AuSable,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
county,  are  found,  whenever  sufficiently  resistant  to  atmospheric  influences,  to 
afford  a  fine  material  for  foundation  walls,  and  for  the  rougher  kinds  of  masonry 
generally.  The  heavier  bedded  limestone  of  the  Trenton  group,  affords  a  still 
better  material  for  the  same  uses,  and  has  also  been  employed  for  general  build- 
ing purposes,  and  found  to  answer  well.  It  will  readily  be  seen  from  the  des- 
criptions of  quarries  and  outcrops  of  rock  in  the  preceding  pages,  that  they 
are  so  distributed  as  to  be  easily  accessible  from  all  parts  of  the  county. 

Other  Building  Materials. — Limestone,  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  a  fair 
article  of  quick  lime,  is  found  in  both  the  Niagara  and  Trenton  groups  in  this 
county.  At  Oswego,  lime  is  made  from  rock  of  the  former  age,  which  appears 
here  to  be  somewhat  magnesian,  and  affords  a  strong,  but  not  perfectly  white, 
lime.  The  limestones  of  the  Trenton  group  are  burned  at  Posts's  mills,  and  a 
little  above  Milford,  on  the  Fox  river,  and  also  near  Lisbon,  and  at  each  of 
these  places,  is  said  to  afford  a  good  article  of  lime.  Another  source  of  this 
material  which  has  been  made  use  of  to  a  limited  extent,  is  found  in  the  collec- 
tions of  limestone  boulders,  frequently  met  with  in  the  deposits  of  modified 
Drift  along  the  Fox  river. 

Sand,  for  building  purposes,  is  abundant  throughout  the  county,  and  the  sub- 
soils and  Drift  afford  good  clay  for  making  the  ordinary  red  brick,  which  are 
manufactured  in  quantities  to  meet  the  local  demands,  at  various  places  in  the 
county.  In  this  connection,  I  may  also  mention  the  white  sand  of  the  St.  Pe- 
ters sandstone,  occurring  along  the  lower  course  of  Fox  river,  in  this  county, 


148  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

which,  when  free  from  mineral  salts,  by  which  it  is  sometimes  deteriorated, 
affords  one  of  the  very  best  materials  for  the  manufacture  of  glass. 

Sulphur  Springs. — Springs  containing  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  occur  in  sev- 
eral places  in  township  35,  range  8,  in  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  county- 
One  of  the  largest  and  best  known  of  these  springs,  occurs  on  the  land  of  Mr. 
L.  House,  a  little  southwest  of  the  center  of  section  15.  It  is  a  clear,  constan- 
spring,  and  gives  off  an  odor  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  which  is  perceptible  at 
several  yards  distance,  although  the  sulphurous  taste  to  the  water  is  not  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  render  it  disagreeable  to  most  persons ;  indeed,  the  reverse  is 
very  often  the  case.  It  is  much  favored  by  picnic  parties,  and  from  various 
relics  which  have  been  found  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  it  would  seem  to  have 
been  used  as  a  watering  place  by  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  country.  An- 
other similar  spring,  of  less  value,  occurs  close  to  Mr.  House's  residence,  between 
a  quarter  and  a  half  a  mile  farther  west,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  creek,  and 
still  others,  in  the  southern  part  of  section  23,  and  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
section  16,  in  the  same  township.  The  formation  in  which  these  springs  ap- 
pear to  have  their  source,  id  the  Cincinnati  Group. 

Peat. — Small  deposits  of  peat  have  been  found  in  the  prairie  sloughs  in  va- 
rious parts  of  this  county,  and  also  at  one  or  two  points  along  the  Fox  river, 
but,  with  only  one  exception,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  they  have  not  been  tested 
as  to  their  extent  or  value  as  fuel.  On  the  western  bank  of  Fox  river,  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  4,  township  36,  range  6,  there  is  a  bed  of  this  sub- 
stance, which  occupies  an  area  of  probably  seventy  or  one  hundred  acres,  or 
even  more,  which  has  been  used  to  some  extent  in  the  neighborhood  as  fuel, 
and  is  reported  to  have  made  a  good  fire.  This  bed  will,  I  think,  average  six 
feet  or  more  in  depth,  over  the  whole  area  which  it  occupies,  and  is  probably 
the  most  extensive  deposit  of  the  kind  in  the  county. 

From  the  small  fragments  of  stone  coal,  which  are  occasionally  found  in  the 
Drift  and  surface  deposits  in  this  county,  some  persons  have  been  led  to  sup- 
pose that  coal  beds  might  be  found  under  the  surface.  In  regard  to  this,  it 
can  only  be  said,  that  there  is  no  probability  of  the  existence  of  any  such  beds 
under  any  part  of  the  county,  excepting,  perhaps,  a  very  small  area  in  the  ex- 
treme southwestern  corner.  It  is  possible,  indeed,  as  has  been  stated  before, 
that  small  outliers  of  the  Coal  Measure  strata  may  yet  exist,  under  the  Quater- 
nary deposits  in  this  region,  and  these  might  also  be  productive,  but  as  we  have 
no  certain  knowledge  of  their  existence,  the  chances  are  too  hazardous  to  war- 
rant any  expenditure  of  labor  or  capital  in  their  search. 


CHAPTER    X. 

MORGAN    COUNTY. 

Morgan  county  is  bounded,  on  the  north,  by  Cass  county ;  on  the  east,  by 
Sangamon  county ;  on  the  south,  by  Macoupin  and  Greene  counties ;  and  on 
the  west,  by  Scott  county  and  the  Illinois  river.  It  comprises  about  fifteen 
and  two-thirds  townships,  or  about  five  hundred  and  sixty-three  square  miles, 
of  which  nearly  or  quite  one-half,  is  well  wooded,  and  the  remainder  is  prairie. 
Besides  the  Illinois  river,  which  forms  a  portion  of  its  western  border,  this 
county  is  watered  by  several  lesser  streams,  among  which,  the  Indian,  Mauvais- 
terre,  Sandy,  and  Apple  creeks,  may  be  mentioned  as  the  most  important. 
Nearly  all  of  these  streams  head  in  this  county,  and  attain  considerable  dimen- 
sions before  passing  beyond  its  limits. 

The  country,  away  from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  streams,  is,  in  most 
parts,  a  gently  undulating  prairie,  with  a  rich,  dark  colored  surface  soil,  similar 
in  all  respects  to  that  in  the  adjoining  regions,  and  differing  but  little  from 
the  general  character  of  all  the  prairie  soils  in  this  portion  of  the  State.  On 
the  broken  land  along  the  streams,  the  soil  is  generally  lighter  colored  and 
clayey,  and  generally  bears  a  heavy  growth  of  black,  white  and  red  oak,  with 
some  laurel  oak;  pin  oak,  bitternut  and  shell-bark  hickory,  black  walnut  and 
butternut,  white  and  slippery  elm,  ironwood,  sassafras,  hackberry,  red  bud, 
soft  and  sugar  maple,  linden,  and  hazel.  On  the  narrow  strip  of  level  bottom 
land  which  borders  many  of  the  streams,  we  find,  in  addition  to  many  of  the 
above  species,  swamp  white  oak,  chinquapin  oak,  sycamore,  paw-paw,  and  cot- 
tonwood.  In  the  extreme  western  portion  of  the  county,  the  Illinois  river  is 
bordered  by  an  extensive  tract  of  bottom  land,  ranging  from  four  to  six  miles 
in  width  at  different  points.  In  this  bottom^with  the  exception  of  a  few  tracts 
of  low  sand  ridge,  covered  with  stunted  blackjack,  the  soil  is  a  rich  arenaceous 
loam,  which,  whenever  sufficiently  elevated,  is  one  of  the  best  soils  in  the 
county.  A  considerable  portion  of  this  bottom,  however,  is  flooded  by  the 
Illinois  river,  and  certain  tracts  are  so  little  elevated  as  to  form  permanent 
shallow  lakes  or  sloughs.  Along  the  edges  of  the  bluff's,  at  their  immediate 
base,  there  is  generally  a  sandy  slope,  similar  in  soil  and  timber  to  the  sand- 
ridges  in  the  bottom,  the  material  of  which  is  derived  from  the  marly  sand  of 
the  Loess,  of  which  the  bluffs  are  mainly  composed. 


150  GEOLOGY   OF    ILLINOIS. 

The  Loess,  the  most  recent  of  the  geological  formations  after  the  Alluvium, 
occurs  in  this  county  only  along  the  Illinois  river  bluffs,  in  which  it  attains  a 
thickness  of  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet.  Back  from  the  bluffs,  it  rapidly  thins 
out,  and  is  seldom  seen  extending  more  than  a  mile  or  two  up  the  side  ravines, 
and,  indeed,  it  frequently  disappears  entirely  within  a  much  less  distance. 
The  material  is  generally  an  ash  or  buff  colored,  marly  sand,  containing  fossil 
fresh  water  shells  of  existing  species,  here  as  elsewhere,  forming  high,  conical 
bluffs,  which  constitute  a  peculiar  feature  in  the  landscape.  So  resistant  is  this 
material  to  atmospheric  influences,  that  many  of  the  bluffs  are  crowned  by  steep, 
mural  escarpments  of  compacted  sand,  which  preserve  their  shape  from  year  to 
year,  in  spite  of  the  wearing  action  of  the  frosts  and  showers. 

The  deposits  of  the  Drift  extend  over  nearly  the  whole  surface  of  the  county, 
their  thickness  ranging  all  the  way  from  twenty  to  eighty,  or  one  hundred  feet, 
and  at  Jacksonville,  its  thickness  amounts  to  even  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
feet.  The  material  of  this  formation  is  generally  a  blue  or  yellow  clay,  with 
occasional  seams  or  strata,  of  quicksand  or  gravel.  Good  sections  of  this  for- 
mation are,  however,  rarely  met  with,  both  on  account  of  the  infrequency  of 
shafts  or  wells  of  sufficient  depth,  and  of  the  frequent  lack  of  reliable  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  those  wells  which  have  been  sunk.  In  general,  however,  the 
brown  clays  are  uppermost,  and  are  underlaid  by  bluish  clays  and  hard-pan. 
A  little  distance  north  of  Prentice  Station,  on  the  St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  and 
Chicago  railroad,  in  the  extreme  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  a  shaft  passed 
through  eighty-five  feet  of  the  beds  of  the  Drift,  aad  the  following  section  was 
reported  : 

FKKT. 

1.  Surface  soil,  and  brown  and  yellow  clays 25 

2.  Bluish  hard-pan 50 

3.  Sandy  clay,  containing  a  log  eighteen  or  twenty  inches  in  diameter 10 

Logs  and  drift-wood  are  reported  to  have  been  frequently  found  in  the  clays' 
etc.,  of  the  Drift  in  this  county,  but  seldom  as  deep  as  in  this  instance,  at  the 
very  base  of  the  formation. 

Boulders  are  abundant  in  all  parts  of  the  county,  but  in  this  region  are  sel- 
dom of  such  very  large  size  as  farther  north.  Many  of  the  transported  boul- 
ders show  polished  and  striated  surfaces  on  two  or  more  sides,  but  no  such  sur- 
faces were  observed  in  any  of  the  exposures  of  rock  in  situ. 

The  older  geological  formations  which  appear  in  the  surface  exposures  of 
this  county,  are  the  Coal  Measures,  and  the  St.  Louis  limestone.  Of  the  for- 
mer, there  is  between  the  uppermost  and  lowest  exposures  a  considerable 
aggregate  thickness,  it  is  difficult  to  state  exactly  how  much,  but  probably  sev- 
eral hundred  feet,  including  the  horizon  of  at  least  three  or  four  workable  coal 
seams.  Of  the  St.  Louis  limestone,  only  a  limited  thickness  of  the  upper  beds 
is  exposed. 


MORGAN    COUNTY.  151 

Coal  Measures. — This  formation  underlies  nearly  the  whole  surface  of  the 
county,  the  only  portion  in  which  it  is  not  the  uppermost  rock,  being  a  com- 
paratively limited  area  along  the  Illinois  bottoms  and  bluffs.  We  find  consid- 
erable difficulty  in  forming  a  correct  idea  of  the  details  of  this  formation  in  this 
county,  on  account  of  the  wide  separation  and  varying  character  of  the  differ- 
ent outcrops.  The  aggregate  thickness,  however,  may,  I  think,  be  safely  set 
down  as  not  less  than  three  hundred  feet,  and  probably  still  more.  Within  this 
thickness  there  are  at  least  three,  and  most  probably  four,  beds  of  coal  of  suf- 
ficient thickness  to  be  profitably  worked. 

The  only  surface  outcrops  of  No.  1,  of  the  Illinois  river  section,  are  along 
the  Illinois  river  bluffs,  near  the  northern  line  of  the  county,  in  sections  2,  3  and 
4,  township  16,  range  12  west  of  the  3d  principal  meridian,  where  it  has 
been  worked  to  a  slight  extent,  by  drifts  driven  horizontally  into  the  hillside, 
and  it  has,  besides,  been  worked  at  least  at  one  point  by  stripping  along  the 
outcrop. 

The  following  section,  which  is  made  up,  in  part,  from  natural  exposures  in 
the  northeastern  quarter  of  section  3,  and  in  part  from  information  derived 
from  the  parties  who  had  worked  the  coal,  will  serve  to  furnish  an  idea  of  the 
order  and  thicknesses  of  the  beds  at  this  point : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Clay  shale,  containing  a  few  indeterminate,  apparently  vegetable,  impressions,  and 
passing  downwards  into  the  underlying  bed , 1     5 

2.  Arenaceous  shale,  containing  no  fossils  except,  perhaps,  a  few  crinoidal  stems   ...  3 

3.  Brownish  sandstone,  containing  a  few  indistinct  vegetable  impressions 20 

4.  Black  slate 2 

5.  Drab,  argillaceous  shale  (exposed) 5 

6.  "  "  "       (reported) 2 

7.  Coal 2     6 

8.  Fire  clay,  penetrated  only  a  few  inches. 

The  sandstone  No.  3,  of  this  section,  has  been  worked  to  some  extent  as  a 
building  stone,  and  is  exposed  in  several  places  along  the  river  bluffs  in  this 
vicinity.  The  other  beds  are  only  to  be  seen  at  one  or  two  points,  and  the  out- 
crop of  the  coal  vein  itself  is  everywhere  covered  up  by  soil  and  debris  from 
the  beds  above. 

In  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  4,  township  16,  range  11,  it  is  reported 
that  a  coal  bed  occurs  a  few  feet  belcw  the  bed  of  Indian  creek,  which  has  been 
worked  by  stripping,  during  seasons  of  very  low  water.  A  little  distance  below 
the  point  where  the  coal  was  said  to  occur,  I  observed  masses  of  nodular,  argil- 
laceous limestone,  which  I  judged  to  have  been  derived  from  the  under-clay  of 
the  coal.  Still  farther  up  the  creek,  in  the  northeast  part  of  section  15,  I  ob- 
served an  outcrop  of  a  reddish,  concretionary  sandstone,  which  may  perhaps  be 
the  equivalent  of  the  sandstone  No.  3,  in  the  above  section. 


152  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

McPherson's  coal  bank  is  situated  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  33, 
township  16,  range  12.  The  distance  from  the  surface  of  the  ground  to  the 
bottom  of  the  coal  :n  the  shaft,  is  about  twenty-six  feet.  After  passing  through 
fifteen  feet  of  soil  and  drift  clay,  a'jout  eight  feet  of  dark  colored  shale  and 
black  slate,  containing  many  heavy  ironstone  concretions  are  met  with,  and 
still  under  this,  the  coal — at  this  point  only  twenty  inches  in  thickness.  The 
fragments  of  black  slate,  which  had  been  thrown  ont  of  the  shaft,  contained  a 
few  fossils,  among  which  I  recognized  only  Discina  nitida,  the  others  being 
mostly  unrecognizable. 

A  bed  of  coal,  which  may  possibly  be  the  same  as  that  in  the  localities  already 
mentioned,  is  reported  to  occur  in  about  the  center  of  the  western  part  of  section 
20,  township  16,  range  12,  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Harris.  The  coal  is  said  to  occur 
at  a  depth  of  about  twelve  feet  below  the  bed  of  Coon  run,  where  it  has  been 
struck  by  excavations,  although  it  was  found  impossible  to  work  it  on  account 
of  the  water.  The  bed  of  the  creek,  a  short  distance  above  this  point,  is  com- 
posed of  rather  irregularly  bedded,  light-gray  limestone ;  the  beds,  as  far  as  I 
was  able  to  observe  them  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  lying  horizontal,  or  very  nearly 
so.  Below,  along  the  banks  and  bed  of  the  stream,  in  the  eastern  part  of  sec- 
tion 19,  there  appears  alight  colored,  shaly  limestone  in  the  bed  of  the  stream, 
and  about  two  hundred  yards  still  farther  down  stream,  but  higher  in  actual 
position,  heavy  beds  of  a  soft,  massive,  ferruginous  sandstone  appear  in  the  sides 
of  the  ravine.  I  am,  however,  inclined  at  present  to  think  that  these  beds  may 
possibly  belong  to  the  upper  part  of  the  St.  Louis  Group,  and  not  to  the  Coal 
Measures,  though  the  lack  of  fossils  and  the  want  of  continuity  in  the  expo- 
sures, make  this  a  rather  difficult  question  to  decide  with  certainty. 

The  coal  No.  2,  of  the  Illinois  river  section,  is  worked  in  this  county,  at  one 
of  its  typical  localities,  and  probably  at  several  other  points  also.  At  Neely- 
ville,  on  the  Toledo,  Wabash  and  Western  railroad,  near  the  western  border  of 
the  county,  this  seam  of  coal  immediately  underlies  the  Drift,  at  a  depth  below 
the  surface,  at  the  principal  diggings,  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet.  A  shaft  sunk 
upon  the  top  of  the  hill,  however,  a  short  distance  south  of  the  railroad,  passed 
through  eighty-five  feet  of  the  brown  and  blue  clays  of  the  Drift,  before  reach- 
ing the  coal.  The  seam  varies  from  four  feet  two  inches  to  four  and  one-half 
feet  in  thickness,  of  which,  however,  only  about  three  and  one-half  feet  is  avail- 
able— from  eight  inches  to  one  foot  of  the  coal  being  required  to  be  left  to 
support  the  roof. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  village,  a  shaly  sandstone,  varying  in  color  from 
light  reddish  to  gray,  is  exposed  in  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  ditches  along 
the  railroad,  for  a  distance  of  three  hundred  yards  or  more.  The  whole  thick- 
ness exposed  is  not  over  eight  feet,  and  the  beds  appear  to  be  very  nearly  hori- 
zontal. From  the  locality  and  appearance  of  this  sandstone  or  sandy  shale,  I 


MORGAN   COUNTY,  153 

am  inclined  to  consider  it  above  the  coal  in  stratigraphical  position.  If  other- 
wise, its  presence  here  must  be  due  to  a  fault,  of  which  we  have  no  other 
evidence. 

Other  localities,  of  probably  this  same  vein  of  coal,  are  in  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  section  34,  township  16,  range  12,  and  in  the  southern  part  of  sections 
21  and  22  of  the  same  township.  The  former  of  these  localities  is  on  the  land 
formerly  owned  by  Mr.  Robert  McPherson,  and  the  coal  is  said  to  have  been 
worked  by  drifting  into  the  side  of  a  small  ravine.  The  bed  was  reported  to  be 
about  four  feet  in  thickness.  No  satisfactory  information  as  to  the  overlying 
beds  could  be  obtained.  This  coal  bank  is  distant  about  half  or  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  from  McPherson's  shaft,  already  noticed  as  a  locality  of  the  lowest 
seam,  No.  1,  of  the  Illinois  river  section.  Its  level  is  probably  from  forty  to 
fifty  feet  above  the  coal  seam  opened  by  the  shaft.  In  the  southeastern  quarter 
of  the  same  section,  I  observed  exposures  of  arenaceous  shales  and  shaly  sand- 
stone, which  I  judged  to  be  the  overlying  beds  of  this  coal,  and  at  one  or  two 
points  the  exposures  were  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  vertical  thickness. 

In  the  southern  part  of  section  22,  the  workings  were  scattered  along  the 
bank  of  Coon  run,  for  a  distance  of  about  half  a  mile.  The  coal  was  worked 
by  horizontal  drifts,  in  the  side  of  the  bluff,  all  of  which  have  been  long  dis- 
used, and  few  particulars  as  to  the  vein  itself,  or  its  surroundings,  could  be  ob- 
tained. It  was  reported  to  be  three  feet  or  more  in  thickness.  A  short  dis- 
tance below  the  coal  diggings,  limestone  is  reported  to  occur  in  the  bed  of  the 
stream,  but  this  was  not  visible  at  the  time  of  my  visit.  It  is  possible  that 
the  coal  in  this  locality  may  be  No.  1,  although  from  the  position  of  the  dig- 
gings, I  had  thought  it  more  probably  No.  2. 

In  the  northwest  corner  of  section  18,  township  15,  range  11,  at  the  point 
where  the  Toledo,  Wabash  and  Western  railroad  crosses  the  Mauvais-terre, 
there  is  an  exposure  on  the  side  of  the  bluff,  and  in  the  railroad  cutting,  of 
thirty  feet  or  more  of  shaly  sandstone  and  arenaceous  shales.  The  shaly  beds 
may  be  traced  along  the  stream  for  a  distance  of  between  a  quarter  and  a  half 
a  mile  from  the  bridge,  where  they  finally  disappear,  and  above  this  point  along 
the  stream,  and  indeed  in  the  whole  northeastern  portion  of  the  county,  there 
are  no  prominent  exposures  of  any  of  the  beds  of  the  older  formations. 

On  Willow  Branch,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  19,  township  15, 
range  11,  I  observed  the  following  section,  in  a  small  quarry  near  the  road- 
crossing  : 

FEET. 

1.  Shale,  slightly  argillaceous  at  top,  and  passing  downwards  into  a  shaly  sandstone, 

containing  concretions  with  indistinct  vegetable  impressions 6 

2.  Massive,  brownish-white  sandstone,  containing  a  few  imperfectly  preserved  impres- 

sions of  plants 12 

3.  Clay  shale,  only  exposed  at  one  or  two  points  in  the  lower  bed  of  the  quarry. . .  6  or  7  inches. 

—20 


154  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

No.  2  of  this  section  is  the  bed  which  is  here  worked  as  a  building  stone.  It 
is  extremely  soft  and  easily  worked  when  first  taken  out,  but  is  said  to  harden 
on  exposure  to  the  weather.  It  is  considerably  used  for  general  building  pur- 
poses in  the  vicinity.  Below  the  quarry,  exposures  of  shaly  sandstone  and 
arenaceous  shales  occur  along  the  banks  of  the  creek,  wherever  it  touches  the 
bluffs  which  edge  the  narrow  bottom,  as  far  as  the  county  line,  a  distance  of 
about  one  mile,  and  probably  continue  to  appear  along  the  lower  course  of  the 
branch  in  Scott  county.  Above  the  quarry,  there  are  no  prominent  outcrops, 
although  the  same  beds  undoubtedly  occur  in  the  hill  sides.  At  one  point  only, 
in  a  ravine  running  down  to  the  creek,  in  the  northeast  part  of  section  29,  I 
observed  indications  of  the  sandstone  in  the  material  thrown  out  of  an  artificial 
excavation. 

Passing  southward  from  this  point,  along  the  western  side  of  the  county,  the 
next  exposure  of  the  Coal  Measures  is  on  the  south  side  of  Sandy  creek,  in  the 
western  part  of  section  16,  township  14,  range  11,  on  the  land  of  Mr.  S.  Can- 
non. The  outcrop  is  only  of  limited  extent,  and  consists  of  light  colored, 
rather  argillaceous  shale,  overlaid  by  sandstone.  The  vertical  thicknecs  of  the 
shale  is  altogether,  perhaps,  four  feet.  The  sandstone  was  only  seen  in  tumb- 
ling masses,  with,  at  one  point,  a  glimpse  of  the  rock  in  place.  No  fossils  were 
collected  in  this  locality. 

Proceeding  up  the  ravine  of  Sandy  creek,  in  the  bottom  of  one  of  the  side 
ravines  opening  from  the  northward,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  11, 
township  14,  range  11,  I  observed  a  large,  tumbling  mass  of  light  colored,  brit- 
tle limestone,  which  evidently  had  not  been  far  removed  from  its  original  bed. 
Similar  masses  occur  in  one  or  two  of  the  side  ravines  of  this  stream  and  its 
tributaries  in  this  vicinity,  but  no  good  outcrop  of  beds  in  place  occur  along 
this  part  of  its  course.  In  the  western  half  of  section  9,  township  14,  range 
10,  there  are  exposures  of  light  colored,  fossiliferous  limestone,  which  has  been 
quarried  in  several  places  on  the  bluffs  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek.  Under- 
neath this  limestone,  at  one  or  two  points,  a  little  west  of  the  center  of  the 
section,  appear  exposures  of  a  light  colored  shale,  apparently  entirely  destitute 
of  fossil  remains.  The  whole  exposed  thickness  of  the  shale  is  about  ten  feet ; 
that  of  the  limestone  is  not  so  easily  ascertained,  as  the  exposures  are  not  con- 
tinuous, and  the  whole  thickness  is  not  exposed  at  any  one  place.  Judging, 
however,  from  the  difference  of  level  in  the  different  exposures,  it  would  seem 
to  be  not  less  than  that  of  the  shale,  and  probably  much  more. 

A  little  farther  up  stream,  near  the  center  of  the  section,  at  the  crossing  of 
the  railroad  (St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  and  Chicago),  a  shaft  has  been  sunk  about 
half  way  up  the  side  of  the  bluff.  It  penetrates  the  Drift  and  underlying  beds, 
to  the  depth  of  about  eighty  feet,  and  afforded  the  following  section,  accord- 
ing to  the  statement  of  parties  present  during  the  excavation : 


MORGAN   COUNTY.  155 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Surface  soil  and  drift  clay , 22 

2.  Light  colored  shale 52 

3.  Limestone,  containing  Hemipronites  crassus,  Petalodus  deah-uctor,  and  a 

few  other  fossils 0     10 

4.  Black  slate,  containing  Aviculopecten  rectalaterarea,  Cardinia,  and  impres- 

sions of  plants 1       6 

5.  Goal 3 

6.  Fireclay 8       8 

7     Buff  or  yellowish,  close-grained  limestone,  breaking  with  a  slightly  con- 

choidal  fracture 3 

No.  2  of  this  section,  is  probably  the  shale  which  has  been  mentioned  as  out- 
cropping along  the  stream  below  this  point. 

No  prominent  exposures  of  rock  occur  on  any  of  the  tributaries  of  Sandy 
creek,  lying  to  the  southward.  The  nearest  point  where  they  appear,  is  on  the 
left  bank  of  Coal  creek,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  section  16,  township  14, 
range  10,  where  a  foot  or  two  in  thickness,  of  a  light  colored  calcareous  shale, 
or  shaly  limestone,  has  been  laid  bare  by  the  wash  of  the  stream,  in  the  over- 
hanging bank.  The  same  occurs  at  several  points  below,  along  the  stream,  and 
at  one  place  in  the  northwestern  part  of  section  29,  I  obtained  a  few  fossils, 
Spirifer  camcratus,  Athyris  subtilita,  Chonetes  mesoloba,  Productus  longispinus, 
etc.  A  little  farther  down  stream,  near  the  center  of  the  south  part  of  section 
i30,  is  Fuller's  coal  bank,  at  which  locality  I  took  the  following  section  : 

FEET. 

1.  Light  grayish  limestone,  containing  a  few  fossils,  mostly  the  same  as  those  men- 

tioned above 15 

2.  Argillaceous  shale 2 

3.  CoalNo.3? 4 

4.  Fire  clay  passing  downwards  into  nodular  argillaceous  limestone 5 

5.  Argillaceous  and  arenaceous  shales 4 

6.  Clay,  containing  nodules  of  bituminous  limestone,  exposed 4 

This  section  was  made  up  along  a  line  of  exposure  of  more  than  one  hundred 
yards  in  length,  and  the  thickness  of  the  different  beds  are  an  average,  and  not 
exact  measurements  taken  at  one  point  only.  The  coal  ranges  in  thickness 
from  three  feet  eight  inches  to  four  feet,  and  is  overlaid  at  one  or  two  points 
with  decomposing  black  slate.  Perhaps  this  is  generally  the  case,  but  the  ex- 
posures do  not  show  it  well.  The  limestone  No.  1  is  well  exposed,  and  the 
vein  of  coal  has  been  slightly  worked  by  stripping  in  one  of  the  side  ravines  a 
little  distance  below  the  main  coal  banks,  and  the  limestone  here  affords  the 
same  fossils  as  were  mentioned  before,  together  with  many  large  Productus 
punctatus,  P.  scabriculus. 

Following  down  the  stream,  below  the  coal  bank,  we  find  a  reddish,  shaly 
Bandstone  exposed  in  its  bed,  whiph,  at  a  point  about  a  mile  below,  forms  a  per- 


156  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

pendicular  bank  ten  feet  high.  Similar  exposures  of  the  same  light  reddish 
or  brown  sandstone,  occur  here  and  there  along  the  creek  to  the  county  line, 
and  below,  into  Greene  county. 

In  the  village  of  Murrayville,  and  its  immediate  vicinity,  two  or  three  borings 
have  been  made,  in  two  of  which  coal  is  reported  to  have  been  met  at  depths 
of  one  hundred  and  seven,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet.  This  coal  was 
reported  as  overlaid  by  sandstone  and  black  slate ;  but  in  neither  case  did  the 
boring  penetrate  the  coal  more  than  twenty-three  inches.  It  may,  possibly,  be 
the  same  vein  as  that  which  is  worked  on  Coal  creek3  and  which  I  have  referred 
with  doubt,  to  No.  3,  of  the  general  section,  or  possibly,  another  higher  vein; 
the  known  facts  are,  however,  not  sufficient  to  decide  the  question  with  cer- 
tainty. 

The  principal  natural  exposures  of  the  Coal  Measures  in  this  county,  which 
remain  to  be  mentioned,  are  those  on  the  main  Apple  creek  and  its  principal 
tributaries.  The  greater  portion  of  the  eastern  and  northeastern  townships  of 
Morgan  county,  are  upland  prairie,  where  all  the  older  formations  are  deeply 
buried  under  the  heavy  accumulations  of  Drift,  and  where  none  of  the  streams, 
which  here  take  their  rise,  have  cut  down  through  these  Quaternary  deposits 
to  any  considerable  extent. 

In  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  18,  township  13,  range  8,  on  the  north 
fork  of  Apple  creek,  I  observed  an  exposure  in  the  side  of  the  bluff,  of  about 
twenty-five  feet  in  vertical  hight,  the  upper  twenty  feet  of  which  is  an  arena- 
ceous shale,  and  the  remaining  lower  portion  consists  of  one  or  two  thin  beds 
of  limestone,  with  black  carbonaceous  shale,  and  fire  clay,  and  in  some  places, 
one  or  two  inches  of  coal  between  the  dark  colored  shale  and  the  fire  clay.  The 
limestone  afforded  a  few  fossils,  chiefly  of  one  or  two  species  of  Bclleroplion 
and  Cyathoxonia.  These  lower  beds  may  be  traced  along  the  banks  of  the 
creek  for  about  half  a  mile,  although  the  exposure  is  not  continuous,  and  then, 
the  dip  of  the  strata  being,  apparently,  a  little  greater  than  the  fall  of  the 
stream,  and  in  the  same  direction  (about  southwest),  it  finally  disappears  be- 
neath its  bed.  A  little  below  where  these  beds  disappear,  I  observed  in  one 
of  the  side  ravines  running  down  from  the  northward,  heavy  exposures  of  a 
massive  brownish  or  reddish  sandstone,  having,  probably,  a  total  thickness  of 
over  thirty  feet.  A  similar  sandstone  is  said  to  occur  some  two  miles  above 
this  point  on  the  creek,  but  it  escaped  my  observation  while  examining  this 
region.  This  sandstone  contained  a  few  impressions  of  plants,  generally  very 
imperfectly  preserved,  but  no  other  fossils  were  obtained. 

Continuing  down  the  ravine  of  the  creek  about  half  a  mile  further,  I  ob- 
served a  place  where  there  had,  apparently,  been  limestone  quarried,  though 
the  ledges  were  not  visible  at  the  time  of  my  visit.  From  the  appearance  of 
the  fragments,  I  judged  it  to  be  an  irregularly  bedded,  light  grayish,  fossilife- 


MORGAN    COUNTY.  157 

rous  rock,  somewhat  resembling  the  limestone  outcropping  along  Sandy  creek, 
which  has  been  described  on  a  preceding  page.  Below  this  exposure,  outcrop- 
pings  of  the  older  rocks  are  not  frequent  along  this  fork  of  Apple  creek,  until 
we  approach  its  junction  with  the  main  creek.  About  half  a  mile  above  the 
junction,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  section  34,  township  13,  range  9, 1  observed 
a  foot  or  two  in  thickness  of  argillaceous  shale,  with  about  eigTit  inches  of  im- 
pure shaly  limestone  appearing  in  the  bank  of  the  creek,  just  above  the  water. 
Below  the  forks  of  the  creek,  as  far  as  to  the  county  line,  a  bed  of  hard,  bluish 
limestone  appears  at  the  water's  edge,  and  at  a  few  points  it  may  be  seen  that 
this  is  overlaid  by  argillaceous  shales.  Passing  up  a  small  branch,  which  comes 
down  from  the  northwestward,  and  enters  the  creek  bottoms  near  the  county 
line,  I  observed  at  one  point,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  34,  on  the 
land  of  a  Mr.  Hart,  a  place  where  a  coal  seam  had  been  worked  by  stripping, 
though  I  was  unable  to  see  the  coal  itself,  or  to  note  its  surroundings.  A  lit- 
tle farther  up  the  ravine,  I  observed  exposures  of  a  shale^  with  thin  beds  of 
limestone,  and  over  all,  a  massive  grayish  sandstone  and  sandy  shale.  Passing 
up  the  east  fork  of  Apple  creek,  above  the  junction,  we  find  the  continuation 
of  the  exposures  of  the  hard,  bluish  limestone  before  mentioned,  appearing 
along  the  banks  of  the  stream  for  a  mile  or  more,  sometimes  in  place,  and 
sometimes  in  large  tumbling  masses  in  the  bed  of  the  creek.  It  also  appears 
in  some  of  the  side  ravines,  and  has  been  somewhat  quarried  at  one  place  on 
the  land  of  Mr.  Benj.  Taylor,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  31,  township 
13,  range  8,  at  a  distance  of  half  or  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  creek. 
About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above  the  Sperry  bridge,  in  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  31,  township  13,  range  8,  a  section  made  up  from  about  one  hundred 
yards'  exposure  along  the  banks,  was  as  follows : 

FT.  IX.      FT.  IN. 

1.  Limestone 2 

2.  Bluish  and  dark  colored  argillaceous  shales 12 

3.  Black  slate 2 

4.  Coal 1     3tol     6 

5.  Clay,  containing  calcareous  nodules 6         "  8 

6.  Shale.     Only  visible  in  the  bed  of  the  stream. 

No  fossils  were  obtained  from  any  of  the  strata,  except  the  limestone,  which 
afforded  a  few  imperfectly  preserved  specimens  of  Productus  punctatm,  P.  semi- 
recticulatus,  and  Atliyris  subtilita.  This  limestone  is  probably  the  same  as  that 
observed  farther  down  stream,  as  it  is  identical  with  it  in  appearance  and  thick- 
ness. Still  farther  up  stream,  it  appears  still  higher  in  the  side  of  the  bluffs, 
and  has  been  considerably  quarried,  and  a  little  above  this  point  it  disappears 
entirely,  and  is  seen  no  more  along  the  stream . 


158  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Up  a  small  branch  which  enters  Apple  creek  from  the  southwest,  near  the 
center  of  the  south  line  of  section  27,  I  observed  outcrops  of  shale,  limestone, 
etc.,  with  a  small  vein  of  coal,  in  the  following  order. : 

FEET. 

1.  Light  colored,  fossiliferous  limestone , .  1 

2.  Clay  shale 3 

3.  Black  or  dark  colored  shale  or  slate 10 

4.  Light  colored  shale 8 

5.  Coal 1 

6.  Fire  clay,  exposed 4 

In  one  or  two  places,  I  observed  an  exposure  of  a  few  inches  of  shale  in  posi- 
tion above  No.  1   of  this  section,  but  not  in  contact.     The  fossils  in  the  lime- 
stones were  generally  imperfect  and  indistinct.     In  the  shales  below  they  are 
easily  obtained,  and  tolerably  well  preserved.     The  most  abundant  species  ob- 
served, were  corals  of  the  genus  Cyathoxonia,  Leda  ventricosa,  Astartella  varica, 
Pleurotomaria,  Grayvillensis?  an  Orthoceras,  etc.     A  little  below  the  point  at 
which  the  foregoing  section  was  taken,  there  is  a  continuous  ledge  of  the  shale, 
from  five  to  eight  feet  in  hight,  extending  along  the  bank  of  the  river  for  a 
distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  rods.     Still  farther  up  the  ravine,  in  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  34,  the  coal  again  outcrops,  and  still  above  this,  near  the 
Macoupin  county  line,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  35,  there  is  an  expo- 
sure of  ten  or  fifteen  feet  of  shale,  overlying  the  thin  limestone,  No.  1,  of  the 
above  section. 

North  of  these  exposures,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  there  are  but 
one  or  two  points  where  the  older  rocks  appear  above  the  surface,  or  are  artifi- 
cially exposed.  One  of  these  occurs  on  the  land  of  Mr.  John  Rohrer,  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  25,  township  13,  range  8,  where  a  reddish  sand- 
stone, in  layers  varying  from  two  inches  to  a  foot  in  thickness,  has  been  quar- 
ried as  a  building  stone.  The  stone  occurs  in  the  bed  of  a  small  branch,  run- 
ning north  into  Apple  creek,  and  four  or  five  feet  of  gravel  has  to  be  removed 
before  reaching  the  valuable  portions  of  the  rock.  To  the  northward  of  this, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Waverly,  sandstone  is  said  to  have  been  met  with  in  digging 
wells,  at  a  depth  of  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet — possibly  the  same  beds  that  are 
exposed  at  this  point. 

Near  Prentice  station,  on  the  St.  Louis,  Jacksonville  and  Chicago  railroad, 
in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  county,  a  shaft  has  been  sunk  in  the  beds  of  the 
Coal  Measures,  and  the  overlying  Drift,  to  the  depth  of  about  two  hundred  and 
twenty  feet,  and  has  been  continued  by  boring  over  one  hundred  feet  more. 
As  this  affords  the  only  means  we  have  of  judging  of  the  Coal  Measures  in  this 
part  of  the  county,  it  will,  perhaps,  be  as  well  to  give  the  section  of  the  beds 
passed  through,  in  full,  as  reported  to  me.  After  eighty-five  feet  of  Drift,  the 
variations  of  which  have  been  already  given  in  a  previous  portion  of  this  chap- 
ter, the  order  of  the  strata  was  as  follows : 


MORGAN  COUNTY.  159 

FKET.    IN. 

1.  Rotten  black  slate 2  6 

2.  Coal 0  2 

3.  Fire  clay , 12  4 

4.  Shale 1 

5.  Coal 0  2 

6.  Fire  clay '.....  1  3 

7.  Sandstone  and  shale  ...    16  7 

8.  Shale  with  bands  of  ironstone , 56 

9.  Black  slate  (fossiliferous) 3  10 

10.  Soft  sandstone 15 

11.  Shale 14 

12.  Limestone 1 

13.  Slate 2 

14.  Coal 2       10 

1 5.  Fire  clay 6 

Ninety-two  feet  below  the  lowest  coal  in  this  section,  another  two  inch  seam 
of  coal  was  reported  by  the  borers,  the  intervening  strata  below  the  fire  clay, 
being  argillaceous  limestone  six  feet,  and  eighty  feet  of  shale.  If  the  lower  coal 
in  the  shaft  is  No.  4  of  the  Illinois  river  section,  as  given  by  Prof.  Worthen,  as 
seems  quite  probable,  it  would  indicate  a  remarkable  thinning  out  of  all  the  coal 
seams  in  this  particular  region,  and  a  considerable  local  variation  in  all  the 
strata  at  this  point. 

The  only  point  which  remains  to  be  mentioned,  in  Morgan  county,  as  a  lo- 
cality where  the  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures  have  been  penetrated,  is  at  the  city 
of  Jacksonville,  where  a  bed  of  coal,  thirty  inches  in  thickness,  is  reported  to 
have  been  struck  by  a  boring  made  on  the  grounds  of  the  Insane  Asylum,  at 
the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet.  Another  boring,  which  was  made 
near  the  track  of  the  Toledo,  Wabash  and  Western  railroad,  just  without  the 
eastern  city  limits,  is  reported  to  have  struck  coal  at  very  nearly  the  same  depth, 
but  with  the  remarkable  thickness,  according  to  a  journal  of  the  boring,  which 
was  kindly  furnished  by  the  proprietors,  Messrs.  Davenport  &  Berry,  of  eighteen 
feet.  This,  it  seems  probable,  is  a  mistake,  but  the  shaft  which  was  being  sunk 
at  this  place,  at  the  time  of  my  visit  (Nov.  30th,  1868),  had  not  penetrated  the 
Drift,  which  here  is  over  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  thickness,  and  no  more 
reliable  data  could  be  obtained.* 

*Since  this  report  was  made,  a  section  of  the  Jacksonville  shaft  has  been  obtained  from 

Messrs.  Davenport  &  Berry,  and  is  as  follows : 

FEET.  IN. 

Drift  clay  and  gravel , 142 

Quicksand 10 

Hard,  green  sand,  with  a  trace  of  coal 2 

Soapstone  (clay  shale) 14 

Sandstone . .  3       9 


160  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

St.  Louis  Limestone. — The  outcrops  of  this  formation  are  confined  to  the  base 
of  the  bluffs,  along  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Illinois  bottoms  in  this  county.  In 
lithological  characters,  it  is  also  rather  variable,  consisting  of  reddish  and  light 
colored  sandstones,  and  a  hard,  impure,  reddish,  calcareous  rock,  which  appears 
in  one  or  two  places.  It  nowhere  presents  such  a  development  as  may  be  met 
with  farther  south,  and  disappears  entirely  before  reaching  the  northern  limits 
of  the  county.  The  most  northern  exposure  observed,  was  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  section  19,  township  16,  range  12,  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Chamberlain, 
where  I  observed  a  light  gray  limestone  on  the  sides  of  the  bluff  road,  and  a  lit- 
tle higher  up  on  the  side  of  the  bluff,  large,  tumbling  masses  of  a  light  colored 
sandstone.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  this  point,  ledges  of  a  reddish, 
splintering,  calcareous  sand  rock,  appear  in  the  side  of  the  bluffs,  and  have  been 
somewhat  quarried. 

Passing  still  further  to  the  south  and  west,  along  the  bluff  road,  we  see  at 
various  points,  a  light  reddish,  shaly  sandstone,  appearing  in  the  ditches  along- 
side of  the  road,  and  in  the  bottoms  of  some  of  the  small  ravines,  which  come 
down  through  the  bluffs.  Mention  has  already  been  made,  in  the  earlier  part 
of  this  chapter,  of  a  reddish  sandstone  occurring  in  heavy  ledges  up  in  the  ra- 
vines of  Coon  run,  which  may,  possibly,  belong  to  this  formation,  but  more 
probably  to  the  Coal  Measures.  About  half  a  mile  north  of  the  southern  line 
of  the  county,  in  the  western  part  of  section  36,  there  is  a  small  quarry  on  the 
edge  of  the  bottom,  in  a  rather  coarser  grained,  light  colored  sandstone,  which 
has  been  excavated  to  the  depth  of  about  four  feet.  In  none  of  the  exposures 
of  the  rocks  of  this  age  in  Morgan  county,  were  any  good  fossils  obtained,  but 
ledges  of  rock  containing  some  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of  this  group  in  tole- 
rable abundance,  occur  a  short  distance  over  the  boundary  in  Scott  county. 

FEET.  IN. 

Gray,  sandy  shale 12 

Clay  shale  with  iron  bands 6 

Conglomerate 2       6 

Gray  shale 14 

Limestone 0       6 

Black  shale  with  concretions  of  septaria 4 

Coal 3 

Fire  clay,  not  passed  through 1       6 

The  fire  clay  passes  downward  into  a  very  hard,  arenaceous  rock,  filled  with  Stigmaria.  The 
slaty,  black  shale  of  the  roof  contains  lAngula  umAonata,  Discina  nitida,  Aviculopeden  rectala- 
terarea,  and  Monotis?  gregaria.  .The  concretions  of  septaria  are  veined  with  selenite.  From 
the  appearance  of  the  coal  and  the  beds  with  which  it  is  associated,  I  am  inclined  to  regard 
it  as  probably  the  equivalent  of  coal  No.  3  of  the  section  in  Fulton  county.  A.  H.  W. 


MORGAN  COUNTT.  161 

Economical    Geology. 

Coal. — As  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  pages,  at  least  four  or  five  different 
beds  of  coal  appear  in  the  surface  outcrops  and  artificial  excavations  of  this 
county,  several  of  which  have  been  more  or  less  extensively  mined.  In  fact, 
the  whole  surface  of  the  county,  excepting  the  Illinois  bottoms,  and  a  small 
area  immediately  adjoining,  is  probably  underlaid  by  one  or  more  veins  of  coal. 
The  lowest  of  these,  the  No.  1,  or  Exeter  coal,  has  been  mined  to  some  extent 
along  the  river  bluffs,  near  the  northern  border  of  the  county,  where  the  seam 
is  about  two  and  a  half  feet  thick.  It  is,  also,  probably,  the  seam  that  is 
worked  at  McPherson's,  and  on  Indian  creek  in  section  4,  township  16,  ranjre 
11,  but  beyond  these  points  I  have  not  identified  it  in  any  exposures  within 
the  limits  of  the  county.  Although  the  coal  of  this  seam  is  of  a  good  quality, 
yet  it  is  not  generally  of  sufficient  thickness  to  be  profitably  mined,  except 
along  the  natural  outcrops,  or  where  it  is  only  of  comparatively  insignificant 
depth  below  the  surface. 

The  next  seam  above  this,  the  Neelyville  coal,  is  rather  extensively  worked 
at  that  place.  The  seam  here  is  about  four  feet  thick,  and  only  twelve  or  four- 
teen feet  below  the  surface  at  the  principal  diggings  along  the  railroad.  As, 
however,  it  has  no  good  natural  roof,  but  is  overlaid  immediately  by  the  clays 
of  the  Drift,  from  six  to  twelve  inches  of  coal  has  to  be  left  for  a  roof,  and 
much  trouble  and  expense  must  be  incurred  in  cribbing.  The  coal  is  of  good 
quality,  and  is  much  used  on  the  Toledo,  Wabash  and  Western  railway,  and  is 
also  sent  elsewhere  to  market. 

The  four-foot  vein,  which  outcrops  along  Coal  creek,  in  section  30,  township 
13,  range  10,  and  which  I  have  referred,  with  doubt,  to  No.  3  of  the  general 
section,  has  been  mined  to  some  extent,  but  the  works  have  been  abandoned. 
This  bed  contains  some  pyrites,  disseminated  throughout  the  mass,  but  when 
sufficiently  free  from  this  material,  the  coal  is  reported  to  be  of  a  very  good 
quality. 

The  other  veins  of  coal  which  are  worked  at  all  in  this  county,  probably  be- 
long to  the  middle  and  upper  Coal  Measures,  and  as  far  as  they  have  been 
opened,  are  generally  of  comparatively  slight  thickness.  It  would  seem  proba- 
ble, however,  considering  these  beds  to  belong  to  the  upper  or  middle  parts  of 
the  formation,  that  other  and  heavier  seams  of  coal  may  be  met  with  at  greater 
depths  beneath  the  surface.  All  the  borings  which  have  been  made  in  the 
central  part  of  the  county  seem  to  confirm  this,  as  far  as  they  go.  The  small 
vein  outcropping  along  Apple  creek,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county, 
is  not  easy  to  place  in  the  general  section.  It  probably  is,  also,  in  the  middle 
portion  of  the  series,  if  not  higher.  The  thickness  is  too  slight  to  admit  of  its 
being  profitably  worked,  except  by  stripping,  etc.,  along  its  outcrop. 
—21 


162  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

Clays. — Some  of  the  underclays  of  the  different  coal  seams  in  this  county, 
will  probably  furnish  a  good  material  for  fire  brick,  tile,  or  pottery.  The  clay 
beds  under  the  different  coal  seams,  however,  generally  appear  at  the  surface 
only  along  the  sides  of  high  bluffs,  or  in  the  bottoms  of  deep  ravines,  and 
have  not  been  as  yet,  turned  to  economical  account.  Good  clays  for  ordinary 
brick  making,  are  found  in  the  beds  of  the  Drift,  under  the  surface  soils  in  all 
parts  of  the  county. 

Building  Materials. — The  sandstone  over  coal  No.  1,  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  this  county,  has  been  worked  to  some  extent  as  a  building  stone,  and  in 
some  instances,  appears  to  answer  the  purpose  well,  and  when  a  proper  selection 
is  made  of  this  material,  it  appears  durable.  The  stone  abutments  of  a  bridge 
over  Indian  creek,  at  Arenzville,  just  over  the  line  in  Cass  county,  which  were 
built  for  the  proposed  Kock  Island  and  St.  Louis  railroad,  are  of  this  sandstone, 
quarried  within  the  limits  of  Morgan  county,  and  after  ten  years'  exposure, 
appear  as  whole  and  sharply  cut  as  when  first  laid.  In  some  parts  of  these 
beds,  however,  the  rock  seems  to  crumble  on  weathering,  and  should,  therefore 
be  rejected  as  a  building  stone. 

The  sandstone  worked  on  Willow  Branch,  in  section  19,  township  15,  range 
11,  is  probably  near  the  same  geological  horizon.  It  is  very  similar  in  appear- 
ance, being  a  light  brown  or  gray  sandstone,  weathering,  however,  to  a  rather 
lighter  color  than  that  from  the  previously  mentioned  localities.  It  is,  as  has 
been  said  before,  quite  soft  and  easily  worked  when  first  quarried,  but  is  said 
to  harden  on  exposure. 

The  limestone  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  their  use  as  a  building  mate- 
rial, have  been  briefly  noticed  in  the  preceding  pages.  Their  use  has  been 
mainly  local  and  limited,  and  from  the  restricted  nature  of  the  exposures  in  the 
sides  of  high  bluffs  or  bottoms  of  ravines,  and  the  general  inconsiderable  thick- 
ness of  the  strata,  it  seems  probable  that  it  could  not  well  be  otherwise.  The 
sandstone  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures,  when  sufficiently  resistant  to  atmospheric 
influences,  are  likely  to  afford  the  principal  home  supply  of  building  material 
in  this  county.  The  sandstones,  etc.,  of  the  St.  Louis  group,  which  outcrop  in 
this  county,  have  also  been  used  to  some  extent,  but  no  such  quarries  as  are 
found  in  this  group  in  the  adjoining  counties,  have  as  yet  been  opened  in  Mor- 
gan county. 

Some  of  the  limestone  beds  in  this  county,  appear  suitable  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  quick  lime.  Most  of  this  article,  however,  is  derived  elsewhere,  and  I 
am  not  aware  that  this  manufacture  has  been  carried  on  to  any  extent  in  any 
place  in  the  county.  Sand  and  gravel  for  building  purposes  are  sufficiently 
abundant  in  all  parts. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

CASS  AND  MENARD  COUNTIES. 

The  two  counties  of  Cass  and  Menard,  which  are  described  in  this  chapter, 
are  situated  contiguous  to  each  other  in  the  western  central  portion  of  the 
State.  Cass  county,  the  largest  of  the  two,  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Mason 
county,  on  the  east  by  Menard  county,  on  the  south  by  Morgan  county,  and  on 
the  west  by  the  Illinois  river.  The  remaining  boundaries  of  Menard  county 
are  Mason  and  Logan  counties  on  the  north  and  east,  and  Sangamon  county  on 
the  south.  The  superficial  area  of  Cass  county  is  about  four  hundred  and 
sixty  square  miles,  of  Menard  county  about  three  hundred  and  eleven,  thus 
forming  an  aggregate  area  for  the  whole  district  of  about  seven  hundred  and 
seventy-one  square  miles,  or  very  nearly  twenty-one  and  a-half  townships. 

The  surface  of  the  country  is,  for  the  most  part,  gently  undulating,  becoming 
hilly  and  broken  only  along  the  courses  of  the  streams.  In  the  western  part 
of  Cass  county,  along  the  Illinois  river,  there  is  a  strip  of  bottom  land,  varying 
in  width  from  three  and  one-half  to  five  miles.  This  extends  also  along  the 
Sangamon  river  on  the  northern  border,  and  through  the  eastern  part  of  this 
district,  gradually,  however,  becoming  more  narrow  and  interrupted  until, 
through  the  greater  part  of  Menard  county,  the  bottoms  are  seldom  more  than 
half  a  mile  broad. 

The  soil  of  the  prairie  portion  of  these  counties  is  the  same  as  that  in  the 
whole  of  this  portion  of  the  State,  a  dark  colored  loam,  with  a  lighter  colored 
clay  sub-soil.  On  the  ridges  and  bluffs  which  skirt  the  streams,  we  find  this 
sub-soil  everywhere,  except  upon  the  Loess  formation,  exposed  at  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  and  generally  bearing  a  heavy  growth  of  timber.  On  the  bottom 
lands,  the  soil  is  an  alluvial  arenaceous  loam,  and,  excepting  in  localities  where 
the  sand  too  greatly  predominates,  is  an  excellent  and  productive  soil.  The 
principal  kinds  of  timber  upon  the  uplands  are,  the  common  varieties  of  oak 
and  hickory,  with  elm,  sugar-maple,  black  and  white  walnut,  linden  and  various 
other  species  which  are  rather  less  frequent.  On  the  bottoms  we  find  willow, 
ash,  sycamore,  cottonwood,  etc.,  in  addition  to  some  of  the  before  mentioned 
species,  forming  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  timber.  The  proportion  of 
prairie  to  wooded  land  in  the  whole  district  is  probably  nearly  two  to  one. 


164  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  geological  formations  in  this  district,  consist  of  the  Quaternary  deposits, 
the  Loess  and  Drift,  and  the  Coal  Measures,  which  alone  of  the  older  forma- 
tions, underlie  the  surface  beds  of  clay,  gravel,  etc.,  in  these  counties.  The 
Loess  forms  the  bluffs  along  the  Illinois  and  Sangamon  bottoms,  in  Cass  county, 
and  also  appears  in  the  bluffs  of  the  Sangamon  river,  and  Salt  creek,  to  some 
extent,  in  Menard  county,  though  it  does  not  appear  as  prominently  in  the  land- 
scape as  farther  west.  Its  general  features  here  are  the  same  as  in  the  other 
river  counties,  and  it  forms  the  same  bald  bluffs,  that  are  seen  in  other  localities 
along  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers.  The  material  here  is  an  ash  or  buff 
colored  marly  sand,  containing  fossil  fresh  water  shells  of  existing  species. 
The  thickness  of  the  formation  is  considerable,  some  sixty  or  seventy  feet 
immediately  at  the  bluffs,  but  it  rapidly  thins  out  in  the  back  country,  in  many 
places  disappearing  entirely  within  a  very  short  distance.  It  appears  to  extend 
the  farthest  inland  along  the  Sangamon  river  in  Cass  county,  north  of  the  town 
of  Virginia,  and  several  good  sections  of  this  deposit  may  be  seen  in  the  cuts 
on  the  Peoria,  Pekin  and  Jacksonville  railroad,  between  that  place  and  Chand- 
lerville.  Along  the  upper  course  of  the  Sangamon,  in  Menard  county,  this 
formation  is  scarcely  to  be  seen  at  any  point,  and  may  perhaps  be  said  to  cease 
entirely  along  this  stream,  within  the  limits  of  the  county. 

The  Drift  deposits  in  this  district  consist  of  brown,  yellow,  and  blue  clays, 
with  boulders,  while  sand  and  gravel  seams  are  of  frequent  occurrence 
amid  the  mass.  The  thickness  will  probably  range,  over  the  whole  district, 
between  forty  and  one  hundred  feet;  of  this,  only  an  estimate  can  be  made  in 
most  cases,  as  shafts  and  wells  of  sufficient  depth,  and  other  opportunities  of 
obtaining  any  exact  knowledge  in  regard  to  this  particular,  are  rarely  met  with 
over  a  greater  portion  of  this  region.  At  Sweet-water,  in  Menard  county,  it 
was  found  to  be  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  from  the  surface  to  the  uppermost 
bed  of  rock,  and  the  boring  presented  the  following  section. 

FEET. 

1.  Surface  soil  and  brown  clay 40 

2.  Quicksand 11 

3.  Blue  clay , , 59 

In  the  eastern  part  of  section  2,  township  17,  range  6,  near  the  village  of 
Athens,  a  shaft  commenced  at  the  bottom  of  a  ravine,  which  cuts  down  some 
forty  or  fifty  feet  below  the  general  level  of  the  country,  was  sunk  eighty-six 
feet  without  striking  a  bed  of  rock,  and  at  the  depth  of  sixty-five  feet,  pieces 
of  coniferous  wood,  in  a  tolerable  state  of  preservation  were  taken  out.  Many 
large  boulders,  which  had  to  be  removed  by  blasting,  were  also  met  with,  some 
of  them  of  granite,  indicating  by  their  material  a  remote  northern  origin,  but 
more  were  fragments  of  the  underlying  Coal  Measure  limestone,  and  sandstone, 
containing  many  of  their  characteristic  fossils  and  showing,  by  their  compara- 


CASS   AND   MENARD    COUNTIES.  165 

lively  angular  outlines,  and  unworn  surfaces,  evidences  that  they  have  not  been 
transported  far  from  their  original  beds.  Some  of  these  latter,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  shaft,  are  of  such  size  and  in  such  positions,  as  to  appear  like  a  natural 
outcrop  of  the  Coal  Measure  rocks,  and  might  perhaps  be  taken  for  such,  were 
it  not  for  the  incontestible  proof  to  the  contrary  afforded  by  the  rocks  them- 
selves. Throughout  the  western  portion  of  this  district,  good  sections  of  this 
formation  are  rarely  met  with,  and  accurate  information  as  to  its  details  cannot 
be  obtained.  Its  thickness,  however,  may  be  put  down  approximately,  as  at 
least  averaging  sixty  or  seventy  feet,  over  the  greater  part  of  this  region. 

Coal  Measures. — This  formation,  as  developed  in  this  district,  comprises  a 
thickness  of  over  three  hundred  feet  of  the  middle  and  lower  portion  of  the 
series,  and  contains  two  or  three  seams  of  coal  of  workable  thickness.  The 
best  development  appears  to  be  to  the  eastward,  the  westernmost  exposures 
being  also  the  lowest  in  stratigraphical  position,  and  the  higher  beds  appearing 
as  we  travel  east.  The  principal  exposures,  commencing  with  the  lowest,  are  as 
follows : 

In  the  southwest  part  of  section  21,  township  18,  range  11,  where  the  road 
between  Virginia  and  Beardstown  comes  down  through  the  bluffs  to  the  bottom 
lands  along  the  Illinois  river,  there  are  several  old  coal  shafts,  only  one  of 
which,  (Mr.  Kinney's,)  is  now  worked.  This  is  reported  to  have  afforded  the 
following  section : 

FEET. 

1.  Soil,  (Loess.) 15 

2.  Brownish  sandstone,  containing  many  vegetable  impressions 13 

3.  Limestones,  ("  Blue  rock.") 2 

4.  Clay  Shale,  ("  Soapstone.") , 12 

5.  Coal,  (No.  1  of  Illinois  river  section.) 3 

6.  Fire  clay,  very  hard -4 

No.  2  of  this  section  crops  out  along  the  bluff  road,  at  the  edge  of  the  bluffs, 
and  a  few  rods  farther  west,  in  ledges  several  feet  in  vertical  exposure.  It  is  a 
soft  micaceous  sandstone,  of  a  light  brown,  or  whitish-brown  color,  and  appears 
slightly  crumbling  at  this  locality.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  farther  north, 
the  coal  seam,  No.  4.  is  reported  to  have  been  reached  by  digging  in  at  the  foot 
of  the  bluff,  and  worked  by  stripping.  Still  farther  to  the  northward,  in  the 
northwest  quarter  of  the  same  section,  I  noticed  in  an  old  quarry  on  the 
side  of  the  bluff,  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  wagon  road,  an  exposure  of  about 
ten  feet  in  thickness  of  a  heavy  bedded  sandstone,  the  same  as  that  which  is 
met  with  in  the  shaft,  and  exposed  on  the  roadside  near  by.  A  little  farther 
northeast,  near  the  eastern  line  of  section  sixteen,  the  coal  seam  is  said  to 
appear  again,  and  to  have  been  worked  to  a  slight  extent  in  the  side  of  a  ravine 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  road. 


166  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Above  the  north  line  of  section  21,  the  bluffs,  for  about  two  miles,  are  mostly 
of  Loess,  and  it  is  necessary  to  go  up  the  side  ravines  in  order  to  see  the  ex- 
posures of  rock.  About  half  a  mile  up  the  large  ravine,  which  cuts  through 
the  bluffs  in  the  southern  part  of  section  10,  I  observed  on  the  eastern  side, 
another  exposure  of  the  sandstone,  (No.  2  of  the  section)  and  a  little  above 
this,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  section  14,  I  also  noticed  about  ten  feet  ex- 
posed of  the  shales  No.  4,  capped  by  a  single  layer  of  limestone,  two  feet  thick, 
(No.  3).  The  coal  seam  must  be  very  near  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  at  this 
point,  but  it  is  not  exposed.  The  outcrops  of  the  sandstone  continue  up  this 
ravine  and  its  branches,  in  the  eastern  part  of  section  14,  and  the  western  part 
of  section  15,  for  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  above  this  point,  and  then  dis- 
appear entirely.  The  rock  is,  in  most  respects,  the  same  as  in  the  localities 
before  described,  a  soft,  even  textured  sandstone,  varying  in  color  from  brown- 
ish red  to  a  dirty  white,  and  in  some  portions  having  a  light  bluish  tinge,  and 
a  slightly  variegated  appearance.  It  contains  a  great  abundance  of  fossil  vege- 
table remains,  Calamites,  etc.,  but  from  the  nature  of  the  rock,  very  few  are 
found  in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 

From  the  mouth  of  this  ravine,  for  a  short  distance  to  the  northeast,  along 
the  face  of  the  bluffs,  there  are  no  very  good  exposures  of  any  of  the  beds. 
There  seems  to  be  here,  however,  a  low  anticlinal.  The  strata  having  gradu- 
ally risen,  until  at  this  point,  the  coal  seam  No.  4,  has  been  worked  by  drifting 
into  the  side  of  the  bluff  almost  midway  between  the  base  and  summit.  The 
crown  of  the  arch  is  very  near  this  point,  and  the  direction  of  the  axis  of  the 
fold  must  be,  judging  from  appearances,  about  southeast.  The  vein  of  coal  is 
said  to  be  about  three  feet  thick  at  this  point,  but  at  present  only  the  entrances 
to  the  old  drifts,  and  the  debris  can  be  seen,  no  work  having  been  done  here 
for  a  number  of  years. 

A  short  distance  further  along  the  bluff  road,  nearly  on  the  line  between 
sections  10  and  11,  another  large  ravine  opens  out,  and  the  rock  again  appears. 
The  coal  seam  was  formerly  worked  also  at  this  point,  at  a  level  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  above  the  road,  though  its  outcrop  is  not  now  visible.  Just  below 
the  level  of  the  old  drift,  I  observed  an  outcrop  of  what  appeared  to  be  a  nodu- 
lar argillaceous  limestone,  which  I  take  to  be  just  underlying  the  fire  clay. 
Above  the  opening  of  the  drift,  the  shale  No.  4,  appears,  and  still  higher  up 
the  bank,  the  limestone  No.  3,  has  been  slightly  quarried,  and  above  all  the 
sandstone,  No.  2  appears,  but  at  present  the  debris  of  the  sandstone  and  shale 
covers  all  the  lines  of  junction,  and  no  very  reliable  measurements  of  the  thick- 
ness of  the  beds  can  be  taken.  The  sandstone  continues  to  appear  in  the  sides 
of  the  ravine,  and  in  the  bed  of  the  small  stream  which  occupies  it,  for  up- 
wards of  half  a  mile.  Its  total  thickness,  although  in  no  place  so  fully  exposed 


CASS    AND    MENARD    COUNTIES,  167 

as  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  accurate  measurement,  can  hardly  be  less  than 
fifty  or  sixty  feet. 

East  of  the  mouth  of  this  ravine,  through  the  northern  half  of  section  11, 
this  sandstone  appears  in  ledges  in  the  bluffs,  at  an  elevation  of  fifty  feet  or 
more  above  the  road,  and  has  been  quarried  in  one  or  two  small  ravines.  In 
one  of  these  ravines,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  eleven,  I  observed  the 
only  outcrop  I  Was  enabled  to  find  of  the  coal  seam,  the  exposed  thickness  of 
•which  was  about  three  feet.  This  is  on  the  northeastern  slope  of  the  anti- 
clinal, and  only  a  little  further  on  the  Loess  and  Alluvium  come  down  to  the 
road,  and  the  exposures  of  rock  cease  to  appear  for  the  distance  of  several 
miles.  Leaving  the  last  mentioned  localities,  and  continuing  eastward  along 
the  base  of  the  bluffs,  the  next  prominent  exposure  is  met  with  near  the  center 
of  the  western  part  of  section  10,  township  18,  range  10,  on  the  left  bank  of 
Job  creek,  just  above  the  point  where  it  comes  out  of  the  bluffs  and  enters  the 
bottoms.  Here,  the  sandstone  No.  2  has  been  quarried  in  the  hill-side,  some 
thirty  feet  or  more  above  the  water,  and  presents  precisely  the  same  appear- 
ance as  at  the  other  localities  already  mentioned.  The  lower  beds  of  limestone 
and  shale,  and  the  coal  seams,  if,  indeed,  they  occur  above  the  bottom  of  the 
ravine  at  all,  are  completely  hidden  by  the  fragments  and  debris  from  above. 
The  sandstone  appears  again  at  one  or  two  points  farther  east,  within  the  dis- 
tance of  one  mile,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  10,  and  almost  on  the  line 
between  sections  10  and  11. 

The  only  remaining  locality  in  Cass  county,  where  the  older  rocks  appear  at 
the  surface,  or  are  artificially  exposed,  is  on  Panther  creek,  near  Chandlerville, 
in  sections  5  and  6,  township  18^ range  9.  A  shallow  coal  shaft  in  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  6  affordedithe  following  section,  according  to  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Shores,  the  proprietor : 

^  FEET.  IN. 

1.  Surface  soil *3fa 4 

2.  Gravel  ("  Blue  bind  ") ^*k; 4 

3.  Black  slate 7^ , 2 

4.  Clay  shale  ("  Soapstone  ") 13 

5.  Coal 2         6 

6.  Fire-clay,  passing  downwards  into  nodular  limestone 2 

7.  Clay,  penetrated 2 

The  shale  and  slate  appear  in  the  bank  of  the  creek,  for  upwards  of  half  a 
mile  above  the  eoal  diggings,  seldom  rising  more  than  two  or  three  feet  above 
the  water's  edge.  No  fossils  were  discovered.  It  seems  quite  probable  that 
this  seam  of  coal  is  the  same  as  that  in  the  exposures  further  west,  although 
from  the  lack  of  continuity  in  the  exposures,  and  of  other  sufiicient  evidence, 
it  may,  perhaps,  be  best  to  refer  it  only  provisionally. 


168  GEOLOGY  OF    ILLINOIS. 

In  Menard  county,  the  eastern  portion  of  thia  district,  we  find  exposed  only 
the  middle  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures,  no  rocks  lower  than  the  under  clays  of 
the  coal  No.  4  of  the  Illinois  General  Section  having  been  identified.  The 
following  section  shows  the  order  of  superposition  and  comparative  thickness 
of  the  different  beds  in  this  region  : 

FEET. 

1.  Limestone 20  to  30 

2.  Argillaceous  shales 10  "  15 

3.  Coal  (No.  7,  111.  R.  sect.) 1J- 

4.  Fire  clay  and  shales 18  "  20 

5.  Limestone 3  "    4 

6.  Coal  (No.  6,  111.  R.  sect.) 1  in.  to  3 

7.  Fire  clay 5  "  10 

8.  Shales  and  sandstone 30  "40 

9.  Limestone 1  "     3 

10.  Black  slate 1"    4 

11.  Coal  (No.  4,  111.  R.  sect.)  5  "    7 

12.  Fire  clay 6"     8 

Of  this  section,  the  beds  below  the  coal  No.  6,  have  not  been  identified  in 
any  natural  outcrop,  and  have  only  been  reached  by  borings,  and  shafts  sunk 
down  to  the  coal  No.  4,  which  is  extensively  worked  at  Petersburg  and  vicinity. 
The  upper  and  middle  beds  of  coal  in  the  above  section,  were  also  formerly 
worked  in  the  vicinity,  but  since  the  opening  of  the  lower  vein  the  work  has 
been  discontinued,  or  is  only  carried  on  in  a  desultory  way  by  stripping.  The 
fire  clay  under  these  two  beds  was  not  separated  from  the  shale  in  all  the  sec- 
tions reported  to  me  by  other  persons,  and  it  is  possible  that  in  some  cases  it 
may  not  be  developed  to  any  considerable  extent. 

Just  above  the  village  of  Petersburg,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Sangamon 
river,  and  close  to  the  water's  edge,  the  limestone  overlying  the  middle  vein  of 
coal  No.  6  appears,  and  has  been  quarried  to  a  slight  extent.  It  is  a  rather  close 
textured,  light  drab  or  gray  limestone,  weathering  buff,  and  contains  a  few  fos- 
sils of  the  species  Spirifer  cameratus,  Athyris  subtilita,  Atliyris  Roissii,  Produc- 
tus  costatus,  Producing  longispinus,  etc.  The  underlying  coal  has  been  worked 
by  stripping,  a  few  rods  further  down  stream,  and  is,  at  this  point,  two  or  three 
feet  thick.  The  peculiarity  of  this  seam  of  coal  is  its  uneven  thickness,  it  be- 
ing reported  sometimes  to  vary,  within  short  distances,  from  a  thickness  of  two 
or  three  feet  to  only  as  many  inches,  or  even  less;  and,  from  this  fact,  it  is  gen- 
erally considered  too  unreliable  to  be  worked,  except  by  strapping  along  its 
surface  outcrops.  Both  the  coal  and  its  limestone  roof  are  passed  through  by 
Taylor's  and  Wright's  coal  shafts,  which  are  sunk  from  the  top  of  the  bank  to 
the  lower  coal,  or  No.  4,  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  this  outcrop. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  near  the  center  of  the  north  line  of  sec- 
tion 25,  township  18,  range  7,  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half  above  the  town, 


CASS  AND   MENARD   COUNTIES.  169 

there  appears  a  ledge  of  brownish  sandstone,  which  extends  along  the  river  bank 
about  two  hundred  yards,  with  an  elevation  above  the  water  of  some  six  or  eight 
feet.  This  appears  to  replace  the  limestone  over  the  middle  coal,  as  it  is  stated 
that  that  vein  immediately  underlies  it,  and  was  at  one  time  worked  at  this  point. 
The  rock  appeared  massive,  or  very  irregularly  bedded  at  this  point,  and  seemed 
to  stand  exposure  well. 

The  upper  bed  of  coal  is  not  at  present  worked,  but  the  entrance  to  the  old 
drifts  may  be  seen  in  several  places  along  the  Sangamon  river  bluffs,  above  Pe_ 
tersburg.  It  does  not  outcrop  near  the  village,  but  its  position  may  be  told  by 
these  marks,  and  the  clay  shale  which  forms  its  roof  appears  at  one  or  two 
points  up  the  ravine  which  opens  out  of  the  bluffs  just  above  the  woolen  mills 
on  the  southern  outskirts  of  the  town,  and  may  be  seen  on  close  examination 
at  the  mouths  of  some  of  the  drifts.  This  shale  is  also  exposed  in  other  side 
ravines  farther  up  the  stream,  but  the  beds  underlying  the  coal,  and  between  it 
and  the  middle  seam,  are  only  exposed  at  the  Salem  mills,  some  two  miles  above 
Petersburg,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river.  At  this  place,  just  below  the  mill- 
dam,  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  there  is  an  outcrop  of  the  middle  coal,  overlaid 
by  two  feet  or  more  of  shaly,  bluish  limestone,  and  still  above  this,  there  is 
exposed,  in  the  almost  perpendicular  bank,  nine  or  ten  feet  of  light  colored 
shales,  containing  a  few  thin  seams  of  clay  and  bands  of  iron  ore.  A  little 
farther  up  the  road,  and  about  ten  feet  higher  in  actual  elevation,  the  upper 
coal  seam  crops  out  of  the  bank  on  the  roadside.  It  is  here  about  sixteen 
inches  in  thickness,  and  this  is  said  to  be  pretty  constantly  the  same  in  all  places 
where  it  has  been  worked.  The  thickness  of  the  middle  bed  could  not  be  well 
ascertained  by  personal  observation  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  but  it  was  stated  to 
me  to  be  two  or  three  feet. 

Following  up  the  road  south  of  the  mills,  the  entrances  to  the  disused  drifts 
along  the  bluffs  at  the  side  of  the  road,  will  show  the  position  of  the  small 
seam,  though  there  are  no  good  natural  outcrops  for  some  little  distance.  About 
half  a  mile  up  this  road,  however,  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  section  36, 
township  18,  range  7,  we  find  it  again  outcropping  in  the  bed  of  a  dry  branch, 
and  a  little  farther  up,  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  branch  are  composed  of  the 
drab  and  brown,  and  in  some  parts  nearly  black,  argillaceous  shales,  which  form 
its  roof.  This  shale  contains  many  concretions  of  ironstone,  generally  .lenticu- 
lar in  form,  and  sometimes  of  considerable  size.  Still  farther  up  the  ravine, 
at  Arnold's  quarry,  we  find,  above  the  shale,  though  the  line  of  junction  is  no- 
where visible,  heavy  beds  of  a  light  gray  or  bluish-gray  limestone,  exposed  in 
the  hill  sides  to  the  hight  of  some  thirty  feet  or  more  above  the  bed  of  the  branch. 
This  limestone  is  quarried,  both  as  a  building  stone  and  for  the  manufacture  of 
lime,  and  affords  many  fossils  of  the  species  Spirifer  tineatus,  Spirifcr  camera- 
tus,  Athyris  subtilita,  Retzia  mormoni,  Rynclionella  Osagensis,  Productus  Jongis- 
—22 


170  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

pinus,  and  others.  The  exposures  of  both  this  limestone  and  the  underlying 
shales,  are  not  such  as  to  allow  any  very  exact  estimate  of  their  respective 
thicknesses.  The  limestone,  however,  will  probably  not  exceed  twenty  or  thir- 
ty feet,  and  the  shale  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  in  total  thickness. 

On  the  Sangamon  river  above  the  Salem  mills,  there  are  no  very  good  expo- 
sures above  high  water  mark,  though  beds  of  rock  are  said  to  form  the  bottom 
of  the  stream  at  one  or  two  points.  A  coal  shaft,  however,  which  was  sunk 
on  the  land  of  Mr.  Sampson,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  32,  township 
18,  range  6,  affords  a  section  of  all  the  beds,  from  the  top  of  the  upper  seam 
of  coal  to  the  under  clay  of  the  lower  and  largest  bed.  The  total  depth  of  the 
shaft  is  a  little  over  ninety  feet,  and  the  strata  were  passed  through  in  the  fol- 
lowing order,  as  reported  to  me : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Surface  soil  and  blue  clay 14 

2.  Black  slate  or  shale 1 

3.  Coal    1       3 

4.  Fire  clay  and  shale 17       3 

5.  Hard  limestone.   4 

6.  Coal 2       6 

7.  Fire  clay  and  shale  (very  hard) 39 

8.  Black  slate 1 

9.  Coal 6      4 

10.  Fire  clay,  penetrated  in  sump .* 5 

It  will  be  observed  that,  in  this  section  the  limestone,  which  generally  is 
found  just  above  the  roof  slate  of  the  lower  coal,  is  missing.  This,  however, 
is  probably  only  a  local  peculiarity. 

Another  point  along  the  bluffs  of  the  Sangamon,  where  rock  is  said  to  occur, 
is  in  the  northwestern  part  of  section  15,  township  17,  range  6,  on  the  land  of 
Mr.  A.  Hale,  where  it  is  stated  that  limestone  was  quarried  out  in  former  times. 
I  visited  the  excavation,  but  the  rock  was  not  visible  above  the  rubbish,  and 
judging  from  the  chips,  I  made  out  the  rock  to  be  the  same  in  appearance  and 
fossils  as  that  in  Arnold's  quarry,  near  Salem.  The  only  doubt  is,  whether  this 
may  not  have  been  merely  a  large  detached  mass,  imbedded  in  Drift,  like  many 
in  this  vicinity. 

In  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  19,  township  18,  range  5,  on  the  head- 
waters of  Indian  creek,  there  appears  in  the  banks  and  beds  of  the  stream,  for 
about  two  hundred  yards,  a  bed  of  light  colored,  nearly  white,  limestone,  which 
seems  to  be  almost  entirely  made  up  of  crinoidal  stems,  no  other  fossils  being 
observed.  Half  a  mile  or  more  below  this,  on  the  land  of  Mr.  T.  Kincaid,  in 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  24,  township  18,  range  6,  the  limestone  again 
appears,  and  has  been  quarried  to  the  depth  of  about  seven  feet.  It  is  here 


CASS   AND   MENARD   COUNTIES.  171 

somewhat  different,  the  upper  five  feet  in  the  quarry  being  of  a  grayish,  heavi- 
ly-bedded limestone,  containing  very  few  fossils.  A  section  of  the  quarry 
would  be  nearly  as  follows  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Heavy  bedded,  gray  limestone 5 

2.  Dark  colored,  somewhat  shaly  beds 1  6 

3.  Dark  colored,  argillaceous  shale,  containing  Hemipronites  crassus,  etc 6 

4.  Hard,  pyritous  band,  with  a  trace  of  coal 1£ 

5.  Whitish  fire  clay,  only  penetrated 8 

Numbers  4  awd  5  of  this  section,  are  not  to  be  seen  in  this  quarry  without 
special  excavation,  and  numbers  1  and  2  appear  to  graduate  into  each  other  at 
some  points. 

Below  this  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  the  limestone  is  met  with  by  dig- 
ging into  the  banks,  and  outcrops  at  one  point  in  the  side  of  the  branch,  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  below  the  quarry.  The  rock  there  is  somewhat 
different  from  that  before  described,  being  a  very  light  colored,  nearly  white, 
thinly  and  irregularly  bedded  limestone,  containing  Spirifer  lineatus,  Athyris 
subtitita,  and  a  few  other  species,  in  considerable  abundance. 

The  remaining  exposures  in  the  southern  part  of  Menard  county  occurs  in 
the  southern  parts  of  sections  13,  14  and  15,  township  17,  range  7,  along  the 
banks  of  Rock  creek.  The  easternmost  of  these,  occurs  in  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  section  13,  a  little  west  of  the  Springfield  road,  where  a  thickness  of  a 
few  feet  of  light  colored  shale  appears  in  a  field  on  the  bank  of  the  creek.  About 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  above  this  on  the  stream,  and  nearly  due  west,  we  came 
to  the  first  of  the  limestone  quarries,  which  continue  to  appear  at  intervals  for 
upwards  of  a  mile  above  this  along  the  creek.  The  stone  which  is  quarried 
here  is  a  gray  or  bluish-gray  fossiliferous  limestone,  occurring  in  rather  heavy 
beds  in  the  bed  of  the  creek,  and  in  the  sides  of  the  bluffs  along  its  course. 
In  one  or  two  places  I  noticed  from  one  to  two  or  three  feet  of  brownish  shaly 
sandstone  immediately  above,  and  resting  upon  the  limestone.  It  seems  to  me 
probable  that  this  limestone  may  be  identical  with  that  at  Arnold's  quarry, 
near  Salem,  and  in  that  case  it  will  probably  be  found  to  underlie  the  Drift 
deposits  over  a  considerable  area  in  the  southern  part  of  Menard  county.  Its 
thickness  at  this  point  could  not  be  well  ascertained,  as  at  no  one  point  is  there 
exposed  more  than  a  few  feet,  but  from  the  difference  of  level  of  the  different 
outcrops  and  workings,  the  beds  being  apparently  horizontal  or  nearly  so,  1 
should  judge  that  it  is  not  less  here  than  at  Arnold's,  at  least  twenty  feet,  and 
perhaps  more. 

North  of  Petersburg,  in  Menard  county,  there  are  comparatively  few  out- 
crops, or  artificial  exposures,  borings,  etc.  At  the  eastern  extremity  of  the 
wagon  bridge  over  the  Sangamon,  near  the  brewery,  there  is  a  slight  exposure 


172  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

of  shales,  and  the  small  upper  (16  inch)  vein  of  coal  has  been  somewhat 
worked  in  former  times,  and  in  the  hill  side  a  little  distance  to  the  north  of 
this  point,  I  observed  many  large  boulders  or  fragments  of  Coal  Measure  lime- 
stone, which  may  perhaps  indicate  the  presence  in  the  body  of  the  bluff,  of 
the  heavy  limestone  beds  which  occur  above  this  coal,  farther  to  the  south. 

Fischer's  coal  nv'ne  is  situated  on  the  railroad  nearly  two  miles  north  of  the 
village  of  Petersburg,  and  nearly  at  the  base  of  the  river  bluffs.  The  follow- 
ing is  the  section  afforded  by  the  main  shaft : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Surface  soil  and  Drift  clay 46 

2.  Shale 14 

3.  Hard,  dark  colored  limestone 4 

4.  Black  slate 2 

5.  Coal  No.  4 6 

6.  Fire  clay  and  shale 8 

The  hard  limestone,  No.  3  of  this  section,  lies  very  irregularly  upon  the 
dark  slate,  its  average  thickness,  however,  is  in  this  shaft  not  more  than  stated 
above.  Discina  nitida,  and  one  or  two  other  of  the  species  most  common  in  the 
roof  slate  of  the  coal  occur  also  in  this  limestone,  though  less  abundantly.  A 
shaft  which  was  sunk  by  Captain  Taylor,  near  the  railroad  station,  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  farther  south,  passed  through  the  same  beds,  but  as  this 
shaft  commences  higher  up  on  the  hill  side,  some  thirty-five  feet  of  the  shale 
was  penetrated,  and  the  limestone  and  slate  were  rather  better  developed. 
The  coal  No.  6,  would  doubtless  be  met  with  in  a  shaft  sunk  from  the  top  of 
the  hill,  and  perhaps  the  small  upper  vein  also. 

On  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Sangamon,  in  the  center  of  the  eastern  part  of 
section  1,  township  18,  range  7,  and  about  half  a  mile  above  the  railroad 
bridge,  I  observed  an  exposure  of  a  reddish-brown,  shaly  sandstone,  extending 
about  two  hundred  yards  along  the  river  bank,  and  rising  to  a  hight  of  seven 
or  eight  feet  above  low  water  mark.  The  rock  is  precisely  similar  in  appear- 
ance to  that  in  a  similar  exposure  on  the  river  bank  above  Petersburg,  which 
has  been  described  on  a  preceding  page,  and  which  was  then  said  to  overlie  the 
coal  No.  6.  If  it  is  identical  with  that,  it  will  show  a  dip  of  at  least  twenty 
or  thirty  feet  to  the  northward,  between  Fischer's  and  this  place,  a  distance  of 
rather  less  than  a  mile.  A  similar  sandstone  is  said  to  have  been  quarried  in 
former  times,  by  the  early  settlers,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  36, 
township  19,  range  7,  on  the  edge  of  the  river  bottom  at  the  base  of  the  bluffs. 
At  present  no  rock  in  place  is  visible,  but  the  scattered  fragments,  or  quarry 
chips  are  identical  in  appearance  with  the  rock  in  section  1,  township  18. 

The  boring  at  Sweet-water,  penetrated  to  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet.  After  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  of  Drift  and.  surface 
deposits,  the  order  and  thickness  of  the  different  beds  was  reported  as  follows: 


CASS   AND   MENARD    COUNTIES.  173 

FEET. 

1.  Hard  limestone  ...........................................................  2 

2.  Pipeclay  ................................................................  10 

3.  Shale,  ("  Soapstone."  ......................................................  40 

4.  Limestone  .................................................................  3 

5.  Black  slate  ..............  .................................................  5 

6.  Coal  .....................................................................  5 

*7.  Fire  clay,  not  penetrated  more  than  a  few  inches. 

The  coal  in  this  section  is  doubtless  No.  4  of  the  general  section,  which  will 
probably  be  found  to  underlie  the  greater  part  of  the  northern  portion  of  Me- 
nard  county.  No.  6  had  probably  dwindled  in  thickness  until  it  was  not 
detected  in  the  boring,  as  its  proper  place  would  be  between  1  and  2  of  the 
above  section.  This  boring  affords  almost  the  only  means  of  ascertaining  with 
any  degree  of  accuracy  the  lay  of  the  strata  in  the  more  northern  parts  of 
Menard  county.  There  remain  only  two  or  three  isolated  localities  where  the 
beds  of  the  older  rocks  have  been  met  with  in  artificial  excavations,  and  in 
these  instances,  the  facts  necessary  to  enable  one  to  form  a  correct  judgment 
are  wanting.  Near  the  center  of  the  south  line  of  section  12,  township  19, 
range  7,  a  bed  of  yellowish  sandstone  is  said  to  have  been  once  uncovered  in 
the  side  of  the  river  bluffs.  This  is  immediately  overlaid  by  a  silicious  con- 
glomerate, which  I  am  not  disposed  to  consider  older  than  the  Drift,  and  the 
sandstone  may  very  possibly  be  of  the  same  age.  Near  the  base  of  the  bluffs, 
not  far  from  this  point,  I  heard  it  reported  that  a  small  sixteen-inch  vein  of 
coal  had  once  been  found,  but  is  not  now  visible.  Other  localities  where  coal 
is  stated  to  have  been  found  are,  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  of  the  Sangamon, 
near  the  center  of  section  3,  township  19,  range  7,  and  on  Clary's  creek,  near 
the  center  of  the  south  line  of  section  27,  township  19,  range  8.  In  neither 
of  these  localities  were  the  beds  visible,  nor  could  any  very  satisfactory  informa- 
tion be  obtained. 


Economical     Geology. 

Coal.  —  As  has  been  stated  in  the  foregoing  pages,  all  parts  of  this  district 
appear  to  be  underlaid  by  the  Coal  Measures,  which  here  include  the  horizon 
of  four  or  five  different  seams  of  coal.  It  seems  highly  probable,  indeed,  that 
there  is  no  portion  of  the  district,  excepting  the  bottom  lands  along  the  Illi- 
nois and  Sangamon  rivers,  in  the  western  part,  that  is  not  underlaid  by  at  least 
one  coal  bed  of  workable  thickness.  The  lowest  of  these  seams,  which  is 
exposed  or  worked  anywhere  in  this  region  is  probably  the  coal  No.  1  of  the 
general  section  of  the  State,  identical  with  the  Exeter  coal  of  Scott  county, 
although  it  is  possible  that  it  may  prove  to  be  No.  2  of  the  general  section,  or 
the  same  as  the  Neelyville  coal,  in  Morgan  county.  The  absence  of  black 


174  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

slate  in  the  roof,  and  the  great  thickness  of  the  sandstone  above  are  facts  which 
seem  to  slightly  favor  this  view,  but  are,  however,  not  conclusive.  The  absence 
of  exposures  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  Cass  county,  is  to  be  regretted  as 
not  affording  the  means  of  positively  determining  this  question. 

This  vein  of  coal  is  now  actively  worked  at  only  one  or  two  points  in  Cass 
county,  although  it  was  formerly  much  more  extensively  mined  along  its  out- 
crop on  the  side  of  the  bluffs  of  the  Illinois  and  Sangamon  rivers.  The  seamv 
will  average  three  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  reported  to  be  of  fair  quality,  the 
discontinuance  of  the  most  of  the  mining  operations,  was  mainly  due  to  the 
small  local  demand,  and  the  competition  of  other  mines  in  the  adjoining 
counties  on  the  Illinois  river. 

In  the  eastern  portion  of  this  district,  the  lowest  seam  worked  is  No.  4  of 
the  general  section,  which  will  average  in  the  different  shafts  and  borings  from 
five  to  seven  feet  in  thickness.  Along  the  Sangamon  river  bottoms,  at  Peters- 
burg and  above,  it  has  been  met  with  at  depths  varying  from  seventy  to  eighty 
feet.  On  the  upland  portions  of  the  county,  it  has  been  reached  but  once,  by 
a  boring  at  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet.  This  bed  has  every- 
where a  good  roof  of  limestone  and  black  slate,  and'  is  generally  easy  to  work, 
although  au  occasional  annoyance  is  met  with  in  the  shape  of  horse-backs,  etc. 
The  coal  is  pretty  uniformly  of  a  good  quality  for  fuel  and  steam  purposes,  al- 
though the  quality  of  some  portions  of  the  vein  is  sometimes  injured  for  black- 
smith's use  by  the  presence  of  small  quantities  of  sulphuret  of  iron.  This  is 
the  only  seam  of  coal  which  is  extensively  worked  at  the  present  time. 

The  next  seam  above  this  is  No.  6  of  the  general  section,  which  outcrops  at 
several  points  along  the  Sangamon  river,  in  the  vicinity  of  Petersburg,  and  is 
also  met  with  in  one  or  two  of  the  shafts  at  that  place.  A  peculiarity  of  this 
bed,  which  has  prevented  its  having  been  worked  to  any  extent,  except  along 
its  outcrop,  is  the  tendency  it  has  to  run  out,  it  ranging  in  thickness,  within 
short  distances,  from  three  feet  to  hardly  as  many  inches.  It  is  a  softer  and 
less  open  burning  coal  than  No.  4,  and  is  therefore  sometimes  preferred  to  it 
for  blacksmith's  use. 

Iron  Ore. — Mention  has  been  made  in  the  preceding  pages  of  the  concretions 
of  the  carbonate  of  iron,  which  occur  rather  abundantly  in  the  shales  overlying 
the  small  upper  seam  of  coal  near  Petersburg.  These,  however,  hardly  seemed 
to  occur  in  any  one  place  in  sufficient  abundance  to  continually  supply  an  iron 
furnace  and  render  their  reduction  profitable. 

Building  Stone. — Probably  the  best  material  for  building  stone  in  this  dis- 
trict is  the  massively  bedded,  light  gray  limestone  of  the  Coal  Measures,  which 
is  quarried  on  Rock  creek,  in  the  southern  part  of  Menard  county,  and  near 
Salem,  about  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Petersburg.  This  may  be  ob- 
tained in  blocks  of  any  convenient  size,  and  appears  to  dress  easily  and  weather 


CASS   AND    MENAKD   COUNTIES.  175 

well.  It  has,  however,  been  used  chiefly  for  the  rougher  kinds  of  masonry 
only,  the  limestone  from  the  Joliet  quarries,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State, 
being  generally  preferred  for  the  finer  kinds  of  work,  such  as  window  caps  and 
sills,  etc.,  wherever  ij  is  accessible.  I  have  seen  this  limestone  used  as  dressed 
stone  in  only  one  or  two  instances,  but  it  then  appeared  to  answer  well.  The 
limestone  quarried  on  the  upper  portion  of  Indian  creek,  is  also  said  to  answer 
well  for  foundations  and  rough  walls. 

In  the  western  part  of  this  district,  a  material  which  seems  to  promise  well 
as  a  building  stone,  is  the  brownish  sandstone,  which  occurs  in  very  heavy 
beds  above  the  roof  shales  of  Coal  No.  2.  This  sandstone  is  usually  of  a  red- 
dish brown  color,  though  in  some  places  it  approaches  a  dirty  white,  or  has  a 
bluish  tinge,  is  very  soft  and  easily  dressed  when  first  quarried  out,  but  is  said 
to  harden  on  exposure.  At  the  junction  of  this  rock  and  the  underlying  shales, 
there  is  generally  from  one  to  three  feet  in  thickness  of  limestone,  which  has 
been  also  quarried  to  some  extent  at  one  or  two  points.  The  quantity  of  this 
sandstone  is  such,  that  it  is  practically  inexhaustible ;  it  is,  probable,  however, 
that  all  parts  of  it  will  not  be  found  to  answer  equally  well  as  a  building  stone. 
Other  Building  Materials. — Limestones  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  a 
fine  article  of  quick-lime,  are  found  in  several  places  in  the  eastern  part  of  this 
district,  each  of  the  localities  already  noticed  as  affording  limestone  as  a  build- 
ing stone,  also  furnishes  a  material  for  the  manufacture  of  lime.  Some  selec- 
tion, however,  has  to  be  made  among  the  beds  at  some  points,  for  a  material 
which  will  afford  an  article  of  lime  suitable  to  supply  the  local  needs. 

Clay  and  sand  for  brick  making  are  found  in  abundance  in  all  parts  of  the 
district,  and  will,  probably,  at  some  future  time,  become  one  of  the  chief 
sources  of  building  materials  in  those  parts  most  distant  from  available  stone 
quarries. 

The  general  surface  configuration  and  soils  have  been  noticed  in  the  first 
part  of  this  chapter,  and  but  little  more  need  be  said.  The  soil  of  the  upland 
prairies  in  this  district  takes  rank  with  the  best  in  this  portion  of  the  State, 
in  general  agricultural  value.  The  soil  of  the  timbered  portions  is  also  pro- 
ductive when  properly  cultivated.  Along  the  Illinois  and  Sangamon  rivers, 
in  the  bottom  lands,  there  are  occasional  sandy  tracts  or  ridges,  generally  cov- 
ered with  a  growth  of  stunted  oak  and  black-jack,  which  are,  of  course,  infe- 
rior, but  as  a  general  thing  the  soil  of  these  bottoms  is  a  deep  rich  arenaceous 
loam,  which,  when  sufficiently  elevated  or  properly  drained,  is  one  of  the  most 
productive  soils  in  the  State. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

TAZEWELL,  McLEAN,  LOGAN  AND  MASON  COUNTIES. 

These  four  counties,  which  I  describe  together  in  the  present  chapter,  are 
situated  contiguously  to  each  other  in  the  central  part  of  the  State,  and  toge- 
ther, comprise  a  very  irregularly  shaped  area,  of  nearly  three  thousand  square 
miles.  The  respective  areas  and  boundaries  of  the  several  counties,  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

Tazewell  county  comprises  an  area  of  about  six  hundred  and  thirty-five 
square  miles,  and  is  bounded,  on  the  north,  by  Woodford  county  ,  on  the  east, 
by  McLean  county ;  on  the  south,  by  Logan  and  Mason  counties ;  and  on  the 
west,  by  the  Illinois  river.  McLean  county  contains  an  area  of  a  little  more 
than  thirty-two  townships,  or  about  eleven  hundred  and  sixty-one  square 
miles,  and  is  bounded,  on  the  north,  by  Woodford  and  Livingston  counties  ; 
on  the  east,  by  Ford  and  Champaign  counties;  on  the  south,  by  Piatt,  DeWitt, 
and  Logan  counties  ;  and  by  Tazewell  county  on  the  west.  Logan  county  lies 
immediately  south  of  Tazewell  and  McLean  counties ;  on  the  east,  it  is  bound- 
ed by  DeWitt  and  Macon  counties  ;  on  the  south,  by  Sangamon  county  ;  and 
on  the  west,  by  Mason  and  Menard  counties.  It  comprises  an  area  of  a  little 
more  than  seventeen  townships,  or  about  six  hundred  and  eighteen  square 
miles.  Mason  county  lies  south  of  Tazewell,  and  east  of  Logan  county;  its 
remaining  boundaries  are  Cass  and  Menard  counties  on  the  south,  and  the  Illi- 
nois river  on  the  west ;  its  area  is  abont  five  hundred  and  eighteen  square  miles. 

The  surface  of  the  country  over  the  greater  portion  of  this  district,  including 
McLean,  Logan,  the  greater  part  of  Tazewell,  and  the  eastern  part  of  Mason 
county,  is  a  high,  undulating  prairie,  with  here  and  there  groves  and  belts  of 
timber.  The  soil  is  generally  a  rich  brown  mold,  varying  somewhat  in  differ- 
ent localities,  in  the  proportion  of  clay,  etc.,  which  it  contains,  some  portions 
being  more  argillaceous  than  others.  In  the  timber,  however,  which  occupies 
scarcely  more  than  one-fifth  or  one-sixth  of  the  entire  surface,  and  in  the 
broken  country  along  some  of  the  principal  streams,  the  soil  is  of  a  somewhat 
different  character,  the  lighter  colored  and  more  argillaceous  subsoil  appearing 
at  or  nearer  to  the  surface. 


TAZEWELL,   Me  LEAN,   LOGAN   AND   MASON   COUNTIES.        177 

In  the  greater  part  of  Mason  county,  and  over  considerable  tracts  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  Tazewell  county,  the  surface  configuration  varies  from  that 
which  we  have  just  described  ;  the  prairies  are  low  and  comparatively  flat,  and 
in  many  portions,  were  originally  overflowed,  or  marshy,  at  some  seasons  of  the 
year.  The  soil  of  these  prairies  is  a  rich  alluvium,  generally  more  or  less  are- 
naceous, which  forms,  when  sufficiently  elevated  or  drained,  one  of  the  best 
producing  soils  in  this  district.  Along  the  Illinois  and  Sangamon  rivers  in 
this  region,  we  find  in  some  places  rather  extensive  sandy  tracts  of  river  forma- 
tion, and  on  the  Sangamon  river,  in  Mason  county,  and  on  the  Illinois  river,  in 
Mason  and  Tazewell  counties,  the  bald  bluffs  of  the  Loess,  are  in  some  locali- 
ties conspicuous  features  in  the  general  landscape. 

The  principal  streams  occurring  in  this  district,  besides  the  Illinois  and 
Sangamon  rivers,  which  form  a  portion  of  its  borders,  are  the  Mackinaw  river, 
in  Tazewell,  Mason  and  McLean  counties,  Salt  creek,  in  Mason  and  Logan 
counties,  and  Kickapoo  and  Sugar  creek  in  Logan  and  McLean  counties. 
These,  with  many  minor  streams,  and  nameless  tributaries,  drain  nearly  the 
whole  surface  of  this  district.  With  the  exception  of  the  Illinois  and  Sanga- 
mon rivers,  none  of  the  streams  have  very  extensive  adjoining  tracts  of  bottom 
land,  and  even  along  these  rivers,  the  bottoms  are  frequently  of  inconsiderable 
width,  or  wanting  altogether. 

The  principal  kinds  of  timber  found  in  the  upland  wooded  tracts  of  this  dis- 
trict are  nearly  the  same  as  those  already  enumerated  as  occurring  in  the 
adjoining  counties,  namely,  the  principal  varieties  of  oak  and  hickory,  black 
walnut,  butternut,  maple,  bass-wood,  red-bud,  sassafras,  etc.  On  the  river  bot- 
toms, and  in  low  damp  lands  generally,  the  sycamore,  buckeye,  black  ash,  elm, 
etc.,  are  abundant.  The  sandy  ridges  are  generally  covered  with  a  growth  of 
scrubby  oak  and  black-jack,  with  a  thin  admixture  of  other  species. 

The  geological  formations  appearing  at  the  surface  in  this  district,  consist 
almost  entirely  of  the  Drift  and  later  formations,  the  older  rocks  outcropping 
only  at  a  comparatively  few  localities,  in  Tazewell  and  Logan  counties.  The 
underlying  rock,  however,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained  from  these  outcrops,  as 
well  as  from  artificial  exposures  by  shafts,  etc.,  in  various  parts  of  the  district, 
consists  entirely  of  the  different  beds  of  the  Coal  Measure  series. 

The  Loess,  the  uppermost  of  the  more  recent  geological  formations,  appears 
only  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Illinois  and  Sangamon  rivers,  and  consists  here  as 
elsewhere,  of  buff  or  ash  colored  marly  sand,  containing  fresh  water  shells  of 
existing  species.  It  is  not  everywhere  equally  well  developed,  and  in  various 
localities  along  the  Illinois  river,  in  Mason  and  Tazewell  counties,  it  either  does 
not  appear  or  is  not  at  all  conspicuous.  It  may  be  well  seen,  however,  along 
the  Sangamon  river,  in  Mason  county,  where  it  appears  in  the  bald,  rounded 
bluffs,  with  occasional  mural-appearing  escarpments  covering  their  summits, 
—23 


178  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

which  form  so  characteristic  a  feature  in  the  landscape  along  the  river  below. 
In  the  northern  part  of  Tazewell  county,  although  this  buff  marly  sand  appears 
to  some  extent  in  the  bluffs  along  the  Illinois  river,  it  is  not  by  any  means  as 
well  exposed,  or  prominent,  as  in  the  counties  farther  to  the  south. 

The  Drift  formation,  which  covers  the  older  rocks  in  almost  every  part  of 
this  district,  is  here  composed  of  beds  of  blue  and  brown  clay,  sand,  and  gravel, 
and  varies  in  thickness,  in  different  portions,  from  fifty  feet  in  the  western  part 
of  Tazewell  county,  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  the  Bloomington  shafts. 
It  has  been  penetrated,  however,  at  comparatively  but  few  points,  and  over  the 
greater  portion  of  this  region,  its  depth  can  only  be  approximately  estimated. 
It  seems  probable,  indeed,  that  it  may  be  of  this  thickness  over  considerable 
portions  of  McLean  county,  as  a  boring  at  Chatsworth,  in  the  adjoing  portion 
of  Livingston  county,  was  reported  to  have  penetrated  to  a  depth  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  before  striking  rock. 

The  material  of  the  Drift  in  this  region,  appears  to  be  generally  roughly 
stratified,  alternating  beds  of  sand,  gravel,  and  clay,  are  frequently  met  with 
in  wells  and  borings.  The  sand  and  gravel  beds,  generally  make  up  but  a  very 
small  part  of  the  total  thickness,  though  sometimes  single  beds  attain  a  very 
considerable  thickness,  as,  for  instance,  at  Chenoa,  in  the  northern  part  of 
McLean  county,  where  a  boring  for  coal  passed  through  a  bed  of  sand  and 
gravel  thirty  feet  in  thickness,  overlaid  by  forty-five  feet  of  the  usual  clays  of 
this  formation.  Occasionally,  also,  a  bed  of  black  earth  or  vegetable  mould, 
still  containing  pieces  of  wood,  trunks  of  trees,  leaves,  etc.,  only  partially 
decayed,  is  met  with,  and  a  bed  of  quicksand,  containing  fossil  land  or  fresh 
water  shells  of  existing  species.  The  following  section  of  the  Drift,  afforded 
by  a  shaft  sunk  in  the  city  of  Bloomington,  is  of  especial  interest  as  showing 
both  of  these  conditions  at  unusual  depths.  The  shaft  was  sunk  by  the  Bloom- 
ington Coal  Mining  company,  near  the  track  of  the  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  rail- 
road, about  half  a  mile  north  of  the  depot: 

FEET. 

1.  Surface  soil,  and  brown  clay 10 

2.  Blue  clay ._  40 

3.  "  Gravelly  hard  pan  " 60 

4.  Black  mould,  with  pieces  of  wood,  etc ".....   13 

5.  Hard-pan  and  clay 89 

6.  Black  mould,  etc 6 

8.     Blue  clay 34 

8.  Quicksand,  buff  and  drab  in  color,  and  containing  fossil  shells 2 

9.  Clay  shale,  (Coal  Measures.) 

Total 254 

Another  shaft,  a  little  over  a  mile  distant  from  this  one,  passed  through 
materially  the  same  succession  of  strata,  with  only  local  variations  in  the  thick- 


TAZEWELL,    Mo  LEAN,    LOGAN   AND   MASON    COUNTIES.        179 

ness  of  the  different  beds.  The  quicksand,  No.  8  of  the  above  section,  resem- 
bles somewhat  in  appearance  the  sands  of  the  Loess,  and  the  only  species  of 
the  contained  shells  which  could  be  identified  was  the  Helicina  occulta,  which  is 
also  not  uncommon  in  the  Loess  of  the  river  valleys  in  this  State.  Beds  of 
black  vegetable  mould  are  met  with  at  less  depths  than  in  this  section  in  vari- 
ous places  in  this  district,  as  for  instance  in  the  vicinity  of  Pekin,  Tazewell 
county,  where  it  is  said,  in  a  few  instances,  to  have  tainted  the  wells  which 
penetrated  to  it  to  such  an  extent  as  to  almost  render  the  water  unfit  for  use. 

Sections  of  the  Drift  are  also  afforded  by  the  borings  for  coal,  which  have 
been  made  in  various  parts  of  this  district.  In  all  cases  they  show  variations 
of  the  material  from  blue  to  yellow  clay,  sand  and  gravel,  but  do  not  generally 
afford  sections  of  such  especial  interest  as  the  shafts  at  Bloomington,  nor  is  the 
depth  of  the  formation  as  great.  At  Chenoa,  its  thickness  was  found  to  be 
ninety  feet  from  the  surface  to  the  rock,  at  Lexington  one  hundred  and  eighty 
feet,  at  Atlanta  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet,  at  Lincoln  seventy  feet,  at 
Cheney's  Grove  one  hundred  and  two  feet,  and  at  several  points  in  Tazewell 
county  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  feet  or  more.  Its  thickness  is  quite  irregu- 
lar, but  seems,  however,  to  be  greatest  in  the  central  and  eastern  portions  of 
the  district.  In  Mason  county,  we  have  no  very  reliable  data  upon  which  to 
base  our  estimates,  but  its  average  thickness  in  that  portion,  I  think,  may  be 
safely  put  down  at  not  less  than  fifty  feet,  and  is  probably  much  more. 

In  the  western  part  of  Tazewell  county,  in  the  ravines  and  broken  country 
along  the  Illinois  river,  I  observed,  in  a  number  of  places  at  the  base  of  the 
Drift,  a  bed  of  cemented  gravel  or  conglomerate,  showing  sometimes  an  irregu- 
lar stratification,  similar  to  that  of  beach  deposits.  A  ledge  of  this  material, 
nine  or  ten  feet  in  thickness,  may  be  seen  in  the  northwestern  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 7,  township  25,  range  4  west  of  the  third  principal  meridian,  up  one  of  the 
side  ravines  which  comes  down  through  the  Illinois  river  bluffs,  a  little  south 
of  Wesley  City,  in  Tazewell  county,  and  other  similar  ledges  appear  in  various 
places  in  the  vicinity  of  Fond  du  Lac,  and  also  on  the  Mackinaw,  in  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  county.  Another  similar  bed  of  cemented  gravel,  of,  however, 
a  comparatively  insignificant  thickness,  may  be  seen  about  half  way  up  the  face 
of  the  bluff,  at  the  steamboat  landing  in  the  city  of  Pekin.  where  it  does  not 
appear  to  be  more  than  a  few  inches  thick.  I  have  not  observed  any  similar 
deposits  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  district,  either  in  Logan  or  McLean 
counties,  nor  have  I  heard  of  its  having  been  met  with  in  sinking  the  various 
shafts  or  borings. 

d oal  Measures. — All  the  stratified  rocks  which  outcrop  within  the  limits  of 
this  district,  belong,  as  has  been  already  stated,  to  the  Coal  Measure-",  and  the 
actual  surface  exposures  are  confined,  for  the  most  part,  to  a  thickness  of  about 
sixty  or  eighty  feet  of  the  middle  portion  of  the  formation.  In  the  whole  dis- 


180  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

trict,  there  is  but  one  boring  which  affords  an  artificial  section  of  the  beds 
down  to  the  base  of  this  formation.  This  one  is  that  made  by  Voris  &  Co.,  on 
the  bottom  lands  on  the  Tazewell  county  side  of  the  Illinois  river,  and  directly 
opposite  the  city  of  Pepria.  The  first  bed  of  the  Coal  Measures  which  is  met 
with  in  the  boring,  is  about  forty  feet  below  the  lower  coal  seam  which  is 
worked  in  this  section,  No.  4  of  the  Illinois  river  section,  as  given  by  Prof. 
Worthen.  The  following  is  a  section  of  the  first  four  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
feet  of  the  boring.  Below  that  depth,  the  records  kept  by  Messrs.  Voris  & 
Co.  were  not  complete,  as  to  the  thickness  and  material  of  all  the  different  beds : 

FEET.    FEET. 

1.  Alluvial  soil  of  river  bottom , 4 

2.  Sand 4 

3.  Gravel  (boulder  drift) 20 

4.  Clay  shale  • 59 

5.  Bituminous  slate 3 

6.  Fireclay 15 

7.  Clay  shale 15 

—  120 

8.  Coal 4 

9.  Clay  shale 34 

10.  Sandy  and  argill.  shale  (very  hard) 34 

1 1.  Sandstone 4 

12.  Nodular,  argill.  limestone 6 

13.  Compact,  fine  grained  sandstone 5 

14.  Hard,  dark  blue,  sandy  shale 25 

15.  Coal 3 

—  235 

16.  Sandy  and  argill.  shale  25 

17.  Bituminous  shale,  with  thin  bands  of  limestone 57 

18.  "Cherty  rock" 44 

19.  Hard,  silicious  rock,  mainly  chert — possibly  chert  and  limestone  intermixed .  33 

20.  Fine  grained  sandstone 65 

—  459 

As  nearly  as  the  limits  of  the  formations  can  be  made  out  from  this  section, 
I  think  that  at  least  that  portion  between  the  base  of  the  Alluvium  and  Drift, 
and  the  bituminous  shale  and  limestone  No.  17  of  the  section,  may  be  referred 
to  the  Coal  Measures.  The  remainder  is  Devonian,  with  perhaps  some  of  the 
upper  beds  Lower  Carboniferous.  The  exact  equivalents  of  the  two  beds  of 
coal  passed  through,  may  perhaps  not  be  stated  with  certainty;  the  lower  one, 
however,  is  probably  No.  1  of  the  Illinois  river  section.  The  greatest  depth 
reached  in  the  boring  was  seven  hundred  and  seventy-four  feet,  and  the  lowest 
rock  was  a  gray,  porous  limestone,  the  fragments  of  which,  brought  up  by  the 
instruments,  were  exactly  similar  in  appearance  to  some  of  the  upper  limestones 
of  the  Niagara  group,  exposed  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  with  which 
formation  this  bed  may  doubtless  be  properly  identified. 


TAZEWELL,    Me  LEAN,    LOGAN   AND    MASON    COUNTIES.        181 

The  coal  seain  which  is  worked  in  this  immediate  neighborhood,  is  No.  4,  as 
has  been  already  stated.  A  good  exposure  "of  this  coal  may  be  seen  near  the 
track  of  the  Toledo,  Peoria  and  Warsaw  railroad,  at  the  point  of  the  bluff  where 
the  road  enters  the  valley  of  Farm  creek.  It  is  here  immediately  overlaid  by 
the  Loess  and  Drift,  and  is  about  four  feet  in  thickness,  the  same  as  its  average 
in  other  localities  thereabouts.  It  is  worked  in  various  places,  both  in  the  river 
bluffs  and  for  a  mile  or  more  up  the  valley  of  Farm  creek,  by  horizontal  drifts 
into  the  hill  sides,  some  of  which,  in  their  various  branches,  are  of  considerable 
linear  extent.  The  beds  overlying  the  coal  are  not  exposed  at  the  surface  at 
any  point  north  of  Farm  creek,  but  the  seam  is  generally  found  to  have  a  roof 
of  sandstone  or  sandy  shale  in  the  interior  portions  of  the  drifts.  South  of  the 
creek,  however,  this  sandstone  is  exposed  in  many  places  up  the  side  ravines, 
and  in  R.  A.  McClelland  &  Co.'s  shaft,  in  the  center  of  the  southern  part  of 
section  34,  township  26,  range  4,  it  was  found  to  be  twenty-eight  feet  in  thick- 
ness between  the  coal  and  the  overlying  drift  clay  and  gravel.  This,  however, 
is  by  no  means  to  be  taken  as  its  full  average  thickness,  as  at  this  point  it  has 
probably  lost  much  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  bed  by  denudation. 

Passing  up  a  small  branch,  which  comes  down  through  the  bluffs  from  the 
southward,  just  back  of  the  village  of  Fond  du  Lac  about  half  a  mile,  I  ob- 
served a  striking  exposure  of  about  twenty-five  feet  in  vertical  thickness  of  con- 
cretionary sandstone,  sandy  shales,  and  soft  argillaceous  sand-rock,  which  be- 
long to  these  same  sandy  strata  overlying  the  lower  bed  of  coal.  The  more 
shaly  beds  contained  numerous  iron-stone  concretions,  and  I  observed  in  the 
more  massive  portions,  what  appeared  to  be  indistinct  vegetable  impressions, 
but  no  other  fossils.  About  half  a  mile  or  a  little  more,  still  farther  up  the 
ravine,  the  upper  vein  of  coal  has  been  worked  to  a  very  slight  extent.  In 
actual  position,  it  must  be,  at  this  point,  at  least  seventy  feet  above  the  coal 
No.  4,  and  is  possibly  still  more  than  that.  It  is  here  reported  to  be  about 
three  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  overlaid  by  about  two  feet  of  grayish,  fossilifer- 
ous  limestone,  with  occasionally  an  intermediate  layer  of  black  slate  just  over 
the  coal,  and  forming  its  roof.  Still  another  seam  of  coal  about  fifteen  inches 
in  thickness,  is  said  to  outcrop  farther  up  the  hollow,  but  after  a  careful  search 
I  was  unable  to  discover  its  outcrop,  and  concluded  that  it  must  have  been  cov- 
ered by  the  sliding  of  the  drift  gravel,  etc.,  from  the  bluffs  above. 

Along  the  Illinois  river  bluffs,  between  Fond  duLac  and  Wesley  City,  there 
are  several  points  where  coal  is  now,  or  has  been  worked,  and  there  are  a  few 
exposures  of  the  overlying  sandstones,  in  the  bluffs  near  the  main  wagon  road. 
South  of  Wesley  City,  there  are  scarcely  any  exposures  on  the  river  face  of  the 
bluffs,  but  up  the  side  ravines  they  are  more  numerous.  In  one  of  these  ra- 
vines some  distance  from  the  road,  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Davis,  I  observed  the 


182  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

following  succession  of  beds  in  a  vertical  exposure,  for  about  sixty  rods  along 
the  side  of  the  bluffs : 

FKET.  IN. 

1.  Shale  passing  downwards  into  black  slate  25 

2.  Coal 1     6 

3.  Fire  clay,  passing  downwards  into  nodular  limestone 11  to  12 

4.  Limestone 3 

5.  Sandstone,  exposed  for  only  a  few  inches. 

It  seems  to  me  probable,  that  the  vein  of  coal  observed  here,  is  still  above 
both  of  the  poal  seams  which  are  worked  in  this  region ;  the  distance  between 
this  and  the  next  vein  below  it,  I  should  not  judge  to  be  more  than  forty  or 
fifty  feet.  The  limestone  which  almost  always  overlies  the  coal  No.  6,  is  en- 
tirely wanting  here,  although,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  section,  a  bed  of  limestone 
occurs  below  its  under  clay,  and  farther  down  the  creek.  Below  the  exposures 
from  which  the  above  section  was  made  up,  numerous  thin  beds  of  limestone 
are  to  be  seen,  intercalated  in  sandstone  outcrops.  These  limestone  bands  ap- 
peared to  be  somewhat  fossiliferous,  but  no  good  specimens  were  obtained. 

In  the  northeastern  part  of  section  24,  township  25,  range  5,  on  a  northern 
fork  of  Lick  creek,  I  noticed  a  small  quarry  in  a  ledge  of  soft,  light  gray  and 
brown  micaceous  sandstone,  generally  thin  bedded  and  shaly,  but  in  some 
places  with  the  beds  thick  enough  to  answer  for  building  purposes.  The  total 
vertical  thickness  of  the  exposure  was  less  than  twelve  feet.  Passing  farther 
down  the  branch,  in  a  general  westerly  and  southerly  direction,  we  find  the 
hill-sides  along  its  banks  strown  thickly  with  fragments  of  similar  sandstone, 
indicating  the  probable  existence  of  the  same  beds,  but  a  short  distance  under 
the  soil.  At  a  point  on  the  immediate  bank  of  the  creek,  near  the  center  of  the 
section,  1  observed  an  exposure  of  about  twenty  feet  of  sandy  and  argillaceous 
shales,  containing  a  thin  seam  of  coaly  matter,  not  over  one  or  two  inches  thick 
at  its  best  development,  and  from  that  down  to  nothing.  About  half  a  mile 
further  east,  near  the  center  of  the  eastern  line  of  the  section,  alongside  of  the 
road  which  crosses  the  creek  at  this  place,  and  well  up  the  bluffs,  I  observed 
the  outcrop  of  a  coal  seam,  which  had  been'  worked  to  some  slight  extent,  and 
which  I  take  to  be  the  upper  workable  vein  of  this  region,  No.  6  of  the  Illi- 
nois river  section.  The  whole  exposure  at  this  point,  presented  the  following 
section  : 

FKET. 

1.  Shale 9 

2.  Limestone  (light  colored) 2 

3.  Dark  colored  shaly  beds,  in  some  portions  approaching  black  slate  in  appearance  and 

texture 2 

4.  Bluish  shaly  clay 1 

5.  Coal..  .   3 


TAZEWELL,   M0LEAN,   LOGAN,   AND    MASON   COUNTIES.       183 

• 

Farther  to  the  eastward  from  this  point,  and  higher  in  the  bluffs,  I  observed 

limited  exposures  of  a  reddish,  shaly  sandstone,  or  arenaceous  shale,  which 
seems,  from  its  position,  to  overlie  the  uppermost  beds  of  the  above  section. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Pekin,  there  are  but  few  natural  exposures  of  the  under- 
lying rocks,  but  the  lower  coal  is  mined  at  several  points  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  city.  The  coal  is  generally  overlaid  by  black  slate,  with,  as  is  stated,  in 
some  cases  a  foot  or  two  of  limestone.  Above  the  slate  there  is  generally  from 
twenty  to  forty  or  fifty  feet  of  sandstone  or  sandy  shales,  according  to  the  lo- 
cality of  the  shafts  on  the  edge  of  the  bluffs,  or  farther  up  towards  the  rolling 
upland.  This  sandstone  may  be  seen  in  the  bottoms  of  ditches  at  one  or  two 
points  along  the  Tremont  road,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  city  of  Pekin,  and  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  principal  coal  mines. 

At  Mr.  Hawley's  place,  about  five  miles  southeast  of  Pekin,  a  shaft  was 
sunk,  which  passed  through  both  the  upper  and  lower  coals,  affording  a  section 
of  the  intermediate  beds,  which,  as  reported  to  me,  was  as  follows: 

FEET. 

1.  Argillaceous  shale ....  4 

2.  Light  colored  limestone 2 

3.  Coal 4 

4.  Fire  clay 8 

5.  Sandstone . . , 50 

6.  Bluish  black  slate 4 

7.  Coal 4 

8.  Fireclay 8 

About  ~wo  miles  east  of  Mr.  Hawley's  place,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  20,  township  24,  range  4,  on  a  branch  called  Lost  creek,  there  is  said 
to  be  another  exposure  of  brownish  sandstone,  of  very  limited  extent.  I  failed 
to  find  this  locality  myself,  but  if  a  sandstone  occurs  here,  it  may  be  that  over- 
lying the  lower  coal,  or  possibly  a  still  higher  bed,  not  represented  in  the  above 
section. 

In  the  central  and  eastern  portions  of  Tazewell  county,  there  are  a  few 
localities  where  borings,  etc.,  have  been  made,  but  satisfactory  records  of  the 
variation  in  the  strata  could  not  in  all  cases  be  obtained.  At  Rapp's  mills,  near 
the  center  of  the  north  line  of  section  20,  township  24,  range  4,  a  shaft  was  sunk 
to  the  depth  of  eighty-five  feet,  and,  as  it  was  reported  to  me,  struck  limestone 
at  that  depth.  If  this  be  the  case,  it  was  very  possibly  the  limestone  overlying 
the  upper  coal,  but,  without  more  reliable  data,  it  is  impossible  to  speak  with 
certainty.  The  shaft  was  abandoned  before  completion,  on  account  of  the 
difficulty  of  keeping  it  free  from  water.  At  Delevan,  in  the  southeastern  por- 
tion of  the  county,  a  boring  was  made,  which  was  reported  to  have  passed 
through  sixty  feet  of  sandstone,  and,  below  that,  seventy-five  feet  more  of 
arenaceous  and  argillaceous  shales.  No  coal  was  reported  in  this  boring. 


184  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

• 

In  Mason  county  there  are  no  natural  exposures  of  the  older  rocks,  and,  as 
far  as  I  could  ascertain,  no  good  artificial  sections  are  afforded  in  shafts,  wells, 
borings,  etc.  Passing  eastward,  however,  into  Logan  county,  we  find  along 
Salt  creek,  some  distance  above  Middletown,  a  few  tumbling  masses  of  bluish 
limestone,  which  have  evidently  come  out  of  the  bluffs,  but  no  good  exposures- 
In  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  13,  township  19,  range  4,  a  boring  was 
made  in  the  side  of  the  bluff,  by  Messrs.  Boyd,  Paisley  &  Co.,  of  Lincoln,  which 
passed  through  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  of  alternating  beds  of  limestone, 
and  arenaceous,  and  argillaceous  shales,  passing  through  the  Drift  and  surface 
deposits  at  the  depth  of  only  fifteen  feet.  A  seam  of  coal  was  also  stated  to 
have  been  met  with  near  the  bottom  of  the  boring,  but  its  thickness  could  not 
be  satisfactorily  ascertained.  I  also  heard  it  stated  that  a  seam  of  coal  about 
two  feet  in  thickness,  had  been  worked  by  the  early  settlers  of  the  county 
in  this  vicinity,  and  afterwards  abandoned  on  account  of  its  poor  quality. 
No  traces  of  the  outcrop,  or  the  old  workings,  are  now  visible,  and  I  am  not 
able  to  state  with  any  degree  of  exactneas,  the  place  in  the  series  of  this  seam 
of  coal,  though  it  is  undoubtedly  among  the  upper  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures. 

At  Rankin's  mill,  about  two  miles  farther  up  stream,  in  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  7,  township  19,  range  3,  the  creek  flows  over  a  bed  of  limetone, 
which  is  also  quarried  at  one  or  two  places  on  the  southern  bank.  The  rock  is 
a  light  gray,  or  bluish-gray,  irregjular  bedded  limestone,  and  contains  a  few  of 
the  common  Coal  Measure  fossils,  of  which  Spirifer  cameratus,  S.  lineatusi 
Athyris  subtilita,  and  a  few  others  only  were  collected.  Its  thickness  here,  as 
ascertained  by  means  of  a  well  dug  in  one  of  the  quarries,  was  eleven  feet  j 
and  underneath  it  was  found  four  feet  of  black  slate,  underlaid  by  seventeen 
feet  of  fire  clay,  and  then  six  feet  of  limestone.  The  hole  was  continued  by 
boring  to  a  depth  of  eighty  feet  from  the  surface,  at  which  depth  a  seam  of  coal 
was  struck,  the  thickness  of  which  I  was  unable  to  ascertain.  This,  or  a  similar 
bed  of  limestone,  outcrops  on  Lake  Fork  of  Salt  creek,  in  section  23,  township 
19,  range  8,  in  a  ledge  about  three  feet  high,  which  has  been  quarried  to  a  slight 
extent  at  one  point,  near  the  center  of  the  section. 

The  above  comprises  all  the  natural  exposures  within  the  limits  of  the  district. 
There  remain,  however,  various  shafts,  borings,  etc.,  which,  over  the  larger  por- 
tion of  the  territory,  aflbrd  us  the  only  means  whatever  of  ascertaining  the 
character  and  thickness  of  the  underlying  beds.  Of  these,  with  one  or  two 
exceptions  only,  the  shafts  alone  furnish  sufficiently  reliable  sections  of  the 
strata,  and  as  yet  but  two  or  three  have  been  sunk.  At  Lincoln,  the  shaft 

NOTE. — Since  this  report  was  written,  the  shaft  at  Lincoln  has  been  completed  down  to  the 
coal,  but  we  have  not  been  able  to  get  any  response  to  our  application  for  a  copy  of  their  jour- 
nal, and  consequently  cannot  state  definitely  the  thickness  of  the  coal  seam,  or  its  depth 
below  the  surface.  A.  H.  w. 


TAZEWELL,    Mo  LEAK,    LOGAN    AND   MASON   COUNTIES.        185 

afforded  the  following  section,  after  passing  through  about  seventy  feet  of  soil 
and  Drift : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Light  blue  arenaceous  shale 6 

2.  Hard,  bluish,  impure  limestone,  containing  many  small  corals,  etc 3 

3.  Black  slate 10 

4.  Coal 1         6 

5.  Fire  clay 6 

6.  Arenaceous  shale 3 

The  black  slate  which  had  been  taken  from  the  shafts  was  too  much  decom- 
posed at  the  time  of  my  visit  for  me  to  obtain  from  it  any  well  preserved  fos- 
sils, although  amongst  the  rubbish  I  observed  various  indistinguishable  frag- 
ments of  what  had  apparently  been  fossil  shells.  The  coal  in  this  section  is 
probably  not  below  No.  6  of  the  Illinois  river  section,  and  may  possibly  be 
still  higher.  About  four  miles  south  of  Lincoln,  on  the  land  of  Mr.  J. 
Braucher,  near  the  center  of  the  south  line  of  sectien  14,  township  19,  range 
4,  a  hole  was  sunk  by  boring  to  the  depth  of  near  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
and  three  separate  seams  of  coal  were  reported  to  have  been  met  with.  Un- 
fortunately, however,  the  particulars  of  the  variation  and  thickness  of  the  beds 
could  not  be  obtained,  and  we  are  therefore  unable  to  form  an  opinion  as  to  the 
equivalents  of  these  seams.  In  a  boring  at  Atlanta,  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  county,  a  seam  three  feet  and  six  inches  thick,  was  reported  at  the  depth 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  two  feet,  the  overlying  bed,  as  reported,  consisting 
of  alternating  strata  of  "slate,"  " soapstone,"  "rock,"  (limestone?)  etc.  This 
is  probably  coal  No.  6,  although,  without  more  positive  evidence  than  is 
afforded  by  an  isolated  boring,  nothing  can  be  stated  with  absolute  certainty. 

The  two  shafts  at  Bloomington,' which  have  been  mentioned  in  the  remarks 
concerning  the  Drift,  in  a  previous  portion  of  this  chapter,  afford  us  the  most 
satisfactory  section  of  any  of  the  excavations  in  the  district,  enabling  us  to 
identify  the  two  seams  of  coal  which  they  penetrate,  with  numbers  4  and  6  of 
the  general  Illinois  river  section.  The  following  section,  made  up  from  records 
afforded  by  both  shafts,  illustrates  well  the  variation  of  the  strata  of  the  mid- 
dle Coal  measures  in  this  region.  This  section  commences  at  the  base  of  the 
Drift,  and  its  upper  portion,  from  1  to  4  inclusive,  was  afforded  by  the  Bloom- 
inton  Coal  Company's  shaft,  and  the  remainder  by  that  of  the  McLean  county 
Coal  Mining  Company,  a  mile  farther  south,  along  the  railroad  track:  * 

*  Since  this  report  was  written,  the  McLean  County  Coal  company  have  extended  their  shaft 
down  to  a  lower  coal,  which  they  struck  at  the  depth  of  513  feet  8  inches  below  the  surface. 
The  following  is  the  section  below  No.  4  coal: 

FEET.  IN. 

Fire  clay 10 

Slate 3 

—24 


18(5  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Clay  shale 16 

2.  Sandstone  32 

3.  Clay  shale ...  1 

4.  Coal  No.  6 4 

5.  Fire  clay 13 

6.  Limestone 2     7 

7.  Fire  clay 10 

8.  Clay  shale 8 

9.  Fireclay 15 

10.  Shale 5  6 

11.  Softblueslate 22  7 

1 2.  Black  slate 5 

13.  Coal  No.  4 4  6 

14  Fireclay , 6  9 

No.  2  of  this  section  is  a  light  colored,  laminated  sandstone,  containing  a 
few  remains  of  fossil  plants  ;  in  the  more  southern  shaft  it  seems  to  be  replaced 
by  a  conglomerate.  No  fossils  were  obtained  from  any  of  the  other  beds  ex- 
cepting the  black  slate  (No.  12)  over  the  lower  coal,  which  cantained,  in  great 
abundance,  Lingula  umbonata,  Aviculopecten  rectalaterarea,  Cardinal  fragilis, 
and  other  fossils  characteristic  of  the  shales  of  this  coal.  A  rather  peculiar 
feature,  however,  is  the  comparative  rarity  of  Discina  nitida,  usually  the  most 
abundant  fossil  in  this  slate,  only  one  or  two  specimens  being  found  in  a  rather 
protracted  search. 

In  the  northern  and  eastern  portions  of  .McLean  county,  we  have  only  the 
records  of  several  borings,  which  afford  but  few  particulars  as  to  the  character 
of  the  underlying  beds.  Just  over  the  county  line,  in  Livingston  county, 


Fire  clay > , 4  6 

Sand  rock 20  6 

Soap  stone,  (clay  shale) 62  5 

Black  slate 2  7 

Fireclay 1  7 

Sulphurons  rock ,    1  2 

Gray  slate , , 11  1 

Shale 1  2 

Hard,  lime  rock    , .....? 2  1 

Gray  slate 2  8 

Soapstone,  (clay  shale) 6  8 

Coal 3  8 

The  distance  between  these  lower  seams  is  133  feet  and  1  inch  at  this  shaft,  and  from  the 
thickness  of  the  seam,  and  the  character  of  the  associated  beds,  I  am  inclined  to  regard  the 
lower  coal  in  this  shaft  as  No.  3  of  the  Fulton  county  section,  given  on  pages  93  and  94.  It 
is  possible,  however,  that  No.  3  is  represented  in  this  shaft  by  the  2  feet  7  inch  bed  of  black 
slate,  and  that  the  lower  coal  here  is  really  No.  2.  A.  H.  w. 


TAZEWELL,    Me  LEAN,    LOGAN   AND   MASON    COUNTIES.        187 

about  two  miles  from  Chenoa,  in  a  northeast  direction,  a  ledge  of  bluish-gray, 
irregularly  bedded  limestone  outcrops  in  the  side  of  a  ravine.  In  general  ap- 
pearance this  rock  is  very  similar  to  that  noticed  in  the  preceding  pages  as 
occurring  on  Salt  creek,  in  Logan  county,  and  like  it,  is  probably  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  Coal  Measures. 

Economical    Geology. 

Coal. — From  the  preceding  remarks  it  will  be  seen  that,  although  at  least 
four  or  five  different  seams  of  coal  underlie  different  portions  of  this  district, 
but  two  of  them  have  been  worked  to  any  extent.  The  upper  of  these  two, 
No.  6  of  the  general  section,  is  worked  to  a  slight  extent  along  the  Illinois 
river,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Pekin  and  Peoria,  and  is  also  the  upper  seam  in 
the  Bloomington  shafts.  Its  thickness  in  these  localities  ranges  from  three  to 
four  feet.  The  coal  in  this  bed  is  generally  softer,  and  often  more  impure 
than  that  of  the  next  seam  below,  and  its  workings  have  frequently  been  for- 
saken for  those  of  the  lower  bed.  The  sixteen-inch  vein  of  coal,  which  has 
been  mentioned  on  a  preceding  page,  as  occurring  on  a  ravine  a  short  distance 
back  of  Wesley  City,  and  which  I  have  there  considered  as  a  still  higher  vein 
of  coal,  may  possibly  be  this  seam,  in  spite  of  its  lesser  thickness,  as  it  is  a 
characteristic  of  this  bed,  in  other  parts  of  the  State  where  it  has  been  identified, 
to  vary  considerably  in  its  thickness,  in  some  cases,  indeed,  thinning  out  very 
rapidly  within  the  distance  of  a  few  feet.  The  more  reliable  indications  of 
the  accompanying  limestone  beds,  with  their  characteristic  fossils,  cannot, 
under  all  circumstances,  be  well  observed,  nor,  indeed,  do  they  appear  to  be 
invariably  present. 

The  lower  coal,  No.  4,  is  the  seam  which  is  now  mined  in  nearly  all  the 
principal  workings  within  the  limits  of  this  district,  and  will  generally  average 
here  at  least  four  feet  in  thickness.  The  coal  is  generally  a  harder  and  better 
heating  material  than  that  in  the  upper  bed,  besides  being  more  reliable  in  its 
thickness.  It,  however,  contains,  in  some  parts,  its  share  of  impurities,  but 
often  so  disposed  in  the  vein  as  to  be  more  easily  separable.  In  some  of  the 
shafts  near  the  city  of  Pekin,  the  seam  of  coal,  which  I  have  referred  in  the 
preceding  pages  to  this  horizon,  contains  in  its  lower  portion,  about  sixteen 
or  eighteen  inches  above  the  base,  a  thin  seam  of  fire  clay,  separating  it  into 
two  unequal  portions,  and  sometimes  a  vein  of  slate,  or  slaty  coal,  is  reported 
to  occur  only  five  or  six  inches  above  the  bottom.  In  the  upper  portion,  also, 
there  is  frequently  some  thickness  of  what  is  called  "hickory,"  or  mixed  coal 
and  shale,  or  sand  rock.  The  thickness  of  good  coal,  however,  is  sufficient  to 
render  its  working  profitable. 


188  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

At  Bloomington  the  shafts  were  first  sunk  only  to  the  upper  coal,  which  was 
worked  for  a  short  time,  and  then  the  shaft  having  been  deepened,  the  upper 
bed  was  abandoned,  and  only  the  lower  seam  was  worked.  The  difference  in 
quality  was  very  marked  at  this  place,  the  lower  coal  being  very  much  superior 
to  that  of  the  upper  seam. 

Beneath  this  coal  No.  4,  we  find,  by  the  boring  opposite  Peoria,  by  Voris  & 
Co.,  two  seams  of  coal  at  the  depths  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  and  two 
hundred  and  thirty  feet,  and  respectively  four  and  three  feet  in  thickness, 
which  are  most  probably  the  equivalents  of  Nos.  1  and  3,  of  the  general  sec- 
tion referred  to.  Although  we  have  no  positive  data,  as  to  the  existence  of 
these,  or  other  beds  under  the  coal  No.  4,  in  other  portions  of  the  district,  yet, 
from  their  existence  at  this  point,  and  from  our  general  knowledge  of  the 
development  of  the  lower  Coal  Measures  in  this  portion  of  the  State,  it  seems 
quite  probable  that  these  seams  of  coal  might  be  found  at  the  proper  depth  in 
other  parts  of  this,  and  the  adjoining  counties.  A  boring  of  from  two 
hundred,  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  below  the  known  horizon  of  No.  4,  or 
from  five,  to  seven  or  eight  hundred  feet  from  the  surface  in  different  parts  of 
the  district,  would  probably  penetrate  all  the  Coal  Measures,  and  settle  all  the 
questions  in  regard  to  the  existence,  and  develpment  of  the  underlying  coal 
seams. 

The  upper  coal  seams  are  perhaps  represented  in  this  district,  by  the  bed 
reached  in  the  Lincoln  shaft,  and  it  may  be  also  by  the  small  vein  near  Wesley 
City,  in  Tazewell  county,  which  T.  have,  in  the  preceding  pages,  referred  with 
doubt  to  a  higher  level  than  No.  6,  though  still  admitting  its  possible  identity 
with  that  bed  itself.  In  neither  of  these  localities  is  the  seam  of  sufficient 
thickness  to  be  worked  with  much  profit,  excepting  where  it  might,  perhaps, 
be  profitably  worked  in  a  small  way  by  stripping  along  the  line  of  its  outcrop. 

Building  Materials. — This  district,  as  a  whole,  is  within  itself  but  scantily 
supplied  with  building  stone,  the  greater  portion  of  its  surface  being  occupied 
by  the  Drift  deposits,  and  containing  no  exposures  whatever  of  the  older  rocks. 
Along  the  Illinois  river,  however,  in  Tazewell  county,  the  sandstones  of  the 
Coal  Measures  have  been  quarried  to  some  extent  to  supply  the  local  demand, 
and  in  some  localities  appear  to  afford  a  stone  suitable  for  foundations,  cellar 
walls,  etc.  The  limestone  beds  which  also  occur  in  the  Coal  Measure  strata  in 
this  region,  though  generally  of  inconsiderable  thickness,  may  also  furnish  a 
limited  supply  for  the  same  purposes,  as  well  as  for  the  manufacture  of  lime. 
The  limestone  ledges  noticed  as  occurring  on  Salt  creek  and  Lake  Fork,  in  Lo- 
gan county,  also  furnish  a  fair  material  for  the  rougher  kinds  of  masonry,  and 
have  been  considerably  quarried  for  this  purpose.  Dimension  stone,  etc.,  when 
used  in  this  dirtrict,  are  brought  from  beyond  its  limits,  in  great  measure  from 
the  quarries  at  Joliet. 


TAZEWELL,  Me  LEAN,  LOGAN    AND    MASON    COUNTIES.        189 

Clay  and  loam,  suitable  for  the  manufacture  of  a  fair  quality  of  red  brick, 
are  found  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  district,  and  have  been  made  use  of  in  most 
of  the  principal  towns  within  its  limits.  Sand  for  building  purposes  is  also  suf- 
ficiently abundant. 

Mineral  Springs  — We  may,  perhaps,  properly  mention  again,  under  this  head, 
the  artesian  well  sunk  by  Messrs.  Voris  &  Co.,  on  the  edge  of  the  bottom  land 
along  the  Illinois  river  opposite  Peoria,  in  which  a  current  of  water,  holding  in  so- 
lution sulphuretted  hydrogen,  was  struck  at  the  depth  of  seven  hundred  and  thir- 
ty-four feet.  When  struck  it  was  stated  to  have  had  a  head  of  sixty_or  seventy 
feet,  and  the  flow  is  said  to  be  nearly  as  strong  at  the  present  time.  This  water 
appears  to  be  derived  from  the  upper  portion  of  the  Niagara  group,  but  before 
the  boring  had  reached  its  present  depth,  a  strong  stream  of  saline  water  was 
met  with,  at  a  distance  from  the  surface  of  three  hundred  and  seventeen  feet. 

Copperas  and  saline  springs  occur  in  various  places  in  this  district,  and  occa- 
sionally give  names  to  some  of  the  minor  streams.  Such  names  as  Salt  creek 
and  Lick  creek  occur  here,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  These  springs,  how- 
ever, are  few  in  number,  and  can  hardly  be  considered  of  any  economic  value. 

It  is,  perhaps,  superfluous  to  mention  at  length  the  agricultural  capabilities 
of  this  district,  since  the  capacity  of  its  soils,  etc.,  are  so  well  known,  and  its 
territory  is  so  generally  taken  up  by  actual  settlers  and  now  under  cultivation. 
I  may  safely  say,  however,  that,  with  the  exception  of  some  sandy  portions 
along  the  principal  rivers,  there  are  no  extensive  tracts  of  what  can  be  called 
poor  land  in  the  district.  There  are,  indeed,  some  tracts  of  comparatively  low 
bottoms  and  marshy  land,  which  are  not  at  present  available  for  all  kinds  of 
agriculture,  but  these  are  generally  of  limited  extent,  and  are  rapidly  dimin- 
ishing under  an  improved  system  of  drainage,  which  places  them  at  once  among 
the  more  valuable  lands  of  the  district.  The  numerous  railroads  now  travers- 
ing this  region,  and  others  projected  or  in  process  of  construction,  by  making 
all  portions  readily  accessible  to  the  centers  of  trade,  will  add  greatly  to  its 
present  wealth,  and  guarantee  its  future  prosperity. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

\ 

GRUNDY  COUNTY. 

Grundy  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Kendall,  on  the  east  by  Will  and 
Kankakee,  on  the  south  by  Livingston,  and  on  the  west  by  LaSalle.  It  in- 
cludes twelve  townships,  or  about  420  square  miles,  forming  a  rectangle  of 
twenty-four  miles  long  and  about  seventeen  and  a  half  miles  widef  Of  this, 
about  two-thirds  is  slightly  rolling  prairie,  and  the  balance  mostly  well  tim- 
bered creek  banks  and  river  bottoms. 

The  Illinois  river  divides  the  county  near  the  middle  of  its  northern  half, 
running  in  a  W.  S.  W.  course,  with  but  little  variation.  Its  principal  affluent 
on  the  south  is  Mazon  creek,  which  drains  fully  one  third  of  Grundy,  and  por- 
tions of  Livingston,  Kankakee  and  Will  counties.  Its  principal  water  supply 
is  from  surface  drainage — but  few  springs  being  found  along  its  course.  From 
this  character,  one  would  readily  predicate  the  truth,  that  a  very  wet  season 
often  causes  it  to  overflow  its  banks,  though  twenty  feet  or  more  in  hight,  while 
a  dry  one  leaves  its  bed  bare,  except  where  deep  pools  have  formed.  The  sum- 
mer of  1867,  dryer  than  a  score  of  its  predecessors,  gave  me  an  unusually  fine 
chance  for  the  exploration  of  this  stream,  as  well  as  all  others  included  in  this 
season's  work. 

A  few  miles  west  of  the  Mazon  is  the  Waupecan,  draining  a  comparatively 
small  extent  of  country;  but,  in  an  ordinary  season,  carrying  nearly  as  much 
water,  the  product  of  several  strong  springs  on  the  lower  part  of  its  course — 
some  of  them  from  the  Drift,  others  from  the  sandstones  and  shales  of  the 
Coal  Measures,  which  here  show  a  small  outcrop.  Still  farther  to  the  westward, 
are  Billy  run,  Hog  run  and  Armstrong  run,  which  are  simply  prairie  drains,  and 
show  no  outcrop  of  rock.  Nettle  creek,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  is  prin- 
cipally of  the  same  character ;  but  in  the  lower  part  of  its  course,  there  are  a 
few  springs,  and  two  or  three  outcrops  of  the  shales  and  sandstones  which  over- 
ly the  lower  coal.  Finally,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  county,  is  the  Au- 
Sable  creek,  with  a  comparatively  large  amount  of  water,  partly  derived  from 
springs,  and  partly  from  drainage  of  this  and  part  of  Kendall  county. 


GRUNDT   COUNTY.  191 

Post-tertiary   Formations. 

Alluvium. — The  beds  of  this  formation  are  very  largely  developed  in  the  ter- 
races of  the  river  valley  and  the  beds  of  the  smaller  streams.  From  the  west 
line  of  the  county  nearly  to  AuSable  creek,  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  fol- 
lows the  north  bank  of  the  present  river  valley  pretty  closely,  while  the  second 
terrace  varies  from  a  half  mile  to  two  miles  to  the  northward.  On  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  the  high,  gravelly  banks  of  the  second  terrace  hug  the  river 
banks  very  closely,  as  far  at  the  Waupecan  creek.  Here  the^  lose  much  of 
their  elevation,  and  have  as  their  continuation  a  low  ridge,  about  a  mile  distant 
from  the  present  bank.  East  of  Mazon  creek  this  declines  still  more,  and  be- 
comes the  heavy  sand  ridge  which  bears  still  farther  southward,  and  then  east- 
ward, south  of  Wilmington,  into  Kankakee  county.  This  sand  ridge  forms  the 
watershed  between  Mazon  creek  and  Kankakee  river,  so  that,  where  it  strikes 
the  bank  of  the  latter  stream,  to  the  southward  of  Wilmington,  the  water  flows 
from  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  river,  through  swamps  and  sloughs,  and 
finds  its  way,  through  the  Mazon,  into  the  Illinois,  opposite  Morris. 

The  flats  of  the  old  river  valley,  back  of  the  present  banks,  show,  in  many 
places,  plain  evidence  of  the  comparatively  recent  date  of  their  formation.  At 
Gen.  Birney's  place,  on  section  11,  town  33  north,  range  6  east,  my  attention 
was  called  to  the  fact,  that  at  a  short  distance  beneath  the  surface,  at  a  pretty 
uniform  depth  through  that  neighborhood,  there  is  a  layer  of  thin  slabs  of  the 
fissile  sandstones  of  the  Coal  Measures,  still  tolerably  solid.  They  were  evi- 
dently distributed  here  by  the  current  of  the  river,  not  long  before  it  became 
so  contracted  as  to  leave  this  level  dry.  When  this  old  channel  was  the  outlet  • 
of  Lake  Michigan,  a  large  body  of  water  must  have  flowed  through  here,  and 
appearances  seem  to  indicate  that  its  diversion  toward  Niagara  must  have  been 
sudden,  rather  than  gradual;  otherwise,  the  present  valley  would  probably  have 
been  wider,  and  the  descent  to  it  less  abrupt. 

A  topographer  would  take  peculiar  pleasure  in  studying  the  various  islands 
of  the  old  valley,  especially  at  the  confluences  with  the  Illinois  of  AuSable  and 
Nettle  creeks,  both  of  which  streams,  apparently,  were  much  larger  than  at 
present.  Upon  one  of  these  islands  stands  Morris,  the  county  seat. 

Another,  and  far  the  largest  in  the  county,  is  the  high  land  lying  between 
the  head  of  the  Illinois,  the  lower  part  of  the  Kankakee,  and  the  slough  which 
contains  Goose  Lake,  and  runs  thence  to  Pine  Bluff,  near  the  embouchure  of 
the  Mazon,  upon  the  Illinois  valley. 

The  following  levels  of  points  within  this  county  have  been  furnished  to  me, 
mostly  from  the  notes  of  the  Illinois  .River  Survey,  from  the  office  of  its  chief, 
Gen.  J.  H.  Wilson,  U.  S.  A.,  now  in  charge  of  the  river  improvements  at 


192  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Keokuk,  Iowa.     The  figures  indicate  distances  below  the  established  "datum 
of  six  feet  below  the  lowest  registered  water  of  Lake  Michigan  :" 

FEET. 

Bluffs  at  Morris,  north  side  (level  of  town) 55.938 

"  south  side 59.48 

"  "        lower  terrace 78.00 

Level  of  river,  at  head  of  the  Illinois 87.809 

"  mouth  of  AuSable  creek 92.664 

"  Morris,  under  road  bridge 95.13 

"  Marseilles,  LaSalle  county,  above  dam 99.808 

"  "  "  below  dam 103.256 

"  Goose  Lake,  about 60 

"  Minooka,  as  per  railroad  survey,  above  datum 35 

These  levels  show  that  the  elevation  of  the  first  terrace  above  the  river,  op- 
posite Morris,  is  a  little  over  seventeen  feet,  and  that  the  elevation  of  the  sec- 
ond bluff  or  gravel  ridge  above  the  first  terrace,  is  about  eighteen  and  a  half 
feet.  The  present  floods  reach  nearly  up  to  the  first  terrace,  and  it  is  probable 
that  when  the  lake  poured  its  waters  through  here,  even  the  much  wider  val- 
ley of  the  old  river  did  not  so  accommodate  the  floods  as  to  prevent  their 
nearly  or  quite  overflowing  the  gravel  ridge,  and  covering  large  portions  of 
the  upper  terrace,  both  north  and  south  of  the  river. 

The  coarser  portion  of  the  beds  of  river  gravel  consists  mostly  of  fragments 
of  the  Niagara  group  limestone,  which  forms  so  heavy  beds,  from  below  Joliet 
to  Chicago  and  beyond.  Much  of  the  sand  is  probably  due  to  the  disintegra- 
tion of  the  Coal  Measure  sandstones,  while  some  of  it  may  have  come  from  the 
northward.  There  is,  however,  in  these  beds,  but  a  very  small  proportion  of 
the  mctamorphic  material  from  Canada,  which  forms  so  large  a  part  of  the  true 
Drift,  but,  upon  the  surface  of  the  soil,  and  often  partially  buried,  are  great 
numbers  of  small  boulders  of  quartzite,  gneiss,  granite  and  trap,  unquestionably 
of  northern  origin.  These  are  especially  abundant  south  of  Goose  Lake,  over 
the  surface  of  the  valley  which  starts  from  the  Kankakee,  near  the  county 
line,  includes  Goose  Lake,  and  joins  the  Illinois  valley  near  where  the  Mazon 
first  strikes  the  bottoms.  This  was  probably  a  shallow  channel,  in  which  float- 
ing fields  of  ice  lodged,  melted  and  dropped  the  loads  of  stone  which  they  had 
brought  from  the  northward.  Similar  aggregations  of  boulders  occur  in  the 
adjacent  parts  of  Will  county,  at  points  where  eddies  would  have  been  likely 
to  detain  the  ice  floes.  I  have  suspected  that  this  Goose  Lake  channel  was 
formerly  the  main  channel  of  the  Kankakee,  which  thus  met  the  DesPlaines 
only  four  miles  above  Morris;  but  I  have  not  collected  sufficient  data  to  decide 
the  point. 

The  bed  of  "  potter's  clay,"  worked  near  the  southwest  bank  of  Goose  Lake, 
and  lying  "  near  the  level  of  the  fire  clay,"  (see  vol.  i.,  p.  58)  owes  its  origin 


GRUNDY   COUNTY,  193 

and  deposition  to  river  action,  though  principally  consisting  of  the  decomposed 
shales  and  fire  clays  of  the  Coal  Measures. 

During  the  autumn  of  1868,  the  remains  of  a  Mastodon  were  found  at  Tur- 
ner's strippings,  about  three  miles  east  of  Morris,  under  eighteen  inches  of 
black  mucky  soil,  and  about  four  feet  of  yellowish  loam,  and  resting  on  about 
a  foot  of  hard  blue  clay  which  covered  the  coal.  The  bones  were  badly  de- 
cayed, and  most  of  them  were  broken  up  and  thrown  away  by  the  miners ;  of 
the  remainder,  Mr.  Joseph  Even,  of  Morris,  with  his  usual  zeal  for  science,  ob- 
tained and  presented  to  the  State  Cabinet,  a  part  of  a  thigh  bone,  a  fragment 
of  a  lower  jaw,  three  teeth,  and  a  few  of  the  small  bones.  The  locality  is  a 
portion  of  the  old  river  bottom,  and,  in  the  lack  of  personal  observation,  I  am 
uncertain  whether  to  believe  that  the  presence  of  the  bones  indicates  that  the 
animal  was  mired  and  died  here,  or  to  suppose  that  the  carcass  was  deposited 
here  by  the  river. 

The  Coal  Measure  rocks  of  this  county  are  too  soft  and  too  readily  disinte- 
grated to  allow  of  the  preservation  of  any  scratches  that  may,  at  any  time,  have 
been  impressed  upon  their  surface ;  so  that,  although  we  find  in  the  gravel 
very  numerous  scratched  and  polished  pebbles  and  boulders,  it  is  within  only  a 
very  small  area  that  striated  and  polished  rock  surfaces  have  been  noticed.  In 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  23,  township  34  north,  range  7  east,  at  Waters's 
quarry  of  Trenton  limestone,  smoothly  polished  surfaces  have  been  frequently 
met  with.  In  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  16,  township  34  north,  range 
8  east,  Collins's  run  exposes  a  small  surface  of  the  shaly  limestone  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati group,  upon  which  are  plainly  marked  three  sets  of  striao,  running,  by 
compass,  north  30°  east,  north  37°  east,  and  north  50°  east.  In  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  19,  of  the  same  township,  the  surface  of  the  black  slaty  shale 
which  overlies  the  coal  at  Pettys's  shaft,  is  scratched  and  polished  in  a  similar 
manner.  As  these  three  localities,  however,  are  all  within  the  old  river  valley, 
we  cannot,  with  certainty,  predicate  upon  these-  facts  the  conclusion  that  those 
scratchings  and  polishings  are  attributable  to  glacial  action.  In  fact,  these  and 
some  other  circumstances  give  some  reason  for  assuming  that  they  are  results 
of  river  action  alone.  At  the  coal  mine,  we  find  the  outer  portion  of  the  shale, 
next  to  the  creek  bank,  broken  up  for  several  feet,  and  thoroughly  mingled 
with  the  drifted  materials  which  here  form  an  overlying  bank  of  about  fifteen 
feet.  This  disturbance,  as  well  as  the  grinding  of  the  surface,  we  may  fairly 
attribute  to  the  action  of  the  creek  while  at  its  former  level.  But,  while  allow- 
ing that,  in  these  particular  cases,  river  agencies  are  sufficient  to  account  for  all 
observed  phenomena,  we  must  also  record  the  frequent  occurrence  in  the  Drift 
gravel  of  large  and  small  boulders  unquestionably  planed  and  striated  by  glacia  1 
action.  These  are  especially  abundant  along  the  Mazon. 

—25 


194  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

The  True  Drift,  in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  consists,  mainly,  of  the 
tough  blue  "  boulder  clay,"  with  pebbles  and  boulders,  sometimes  also  including 
fragments  of  wood,  overlaid  but  slightly,  or  not  at  all,  with  gravel,  and  under- 
laid, so  far  as  known,  with  a  bed  of  "  hard-pan,"  and  a  water-bearing  quick- 
sand which  has  thus  far  prevented  any  knowledge  of  the  underlying  materials. 
The  eastern  part  of  the  county,  on  the  contrary,  shows  but  little  boulder-clay, 
this  being  replaced  by  a  heavy  layer  of  sand  and  gravel.  Township  34  north, 
range  6  east,  has  no  known  outcrop  of  rock,  and  wells  near  its  south  line  have 
reached  depths  of  forty-eight,  fifty  and  fifty-two  feet,  before  meeting  the  quick- 
sand. Townships  31  and  32,  of  the  same  range,  and  so  much  of  33  as  lies 
south  of  the  river,  together  with  townships  31  and  32,  range  7  east,  possess  no 
outcrop  of  rock,  but  the  depth  of  the  Drift  is  not  known.  At  Gardner,  in  sec- 
tion 9,  township  31  north,  range  8  east,  the  Drift  is  said  to  be  one  hundred 
feet  deep  at  the  coal  shaft.  At  Braceville,  section  25,  township  32  north, 
range  8  east,  it  was  found  to  be  forty-four  feet  deep.  Going  northward  into 
townships  33,  in  ranges  7  and  8,  it  rapidly  thins  out,  owing  partly  to  the  down- 
ward slope  of  the  surface,  partly  to  the  upward  slope  of  the  surface  of  the  un- 
derlying rocks,  which  come  to  the  surface  in  the  northern  part  of  these  town- 
ships. Much  of  the  "  coal  land  "  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Morris  is 
bare  of  drift,  having  been  stripped  by  the  old  river.  To  the  northward,  how- 
ever, through  township  34  north,  range  7  east,  the  gravel  and  boulder-clay  lie, 
in  some  places,  forty  feet  deep.  Township  34  north,  range  8  east,  is  deeply 
buried  in  Drift;  at  Minooka,  on  the  line  between  sections  1  and  2,  a  well- 
boring  found  one  hundred  feet  of  gravel  overlying  the  shaly  limestone  of  the 
Cincinnati  group. 

Rock    Formations. 

Coal  Measures. — The  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures  occupy  far  the  larger  part 
of  the  surface  of  the  county.  The  outcrops,  however,  are  so  disconnected,  and 
the  beds  so  irregular,  that  I  have  been  unable  to  construct  any  general  section 
to  represent  connectedly  all  the  outcrops.  Apparently,  the  higher  beds  ex- 
posed in  the  county  are  those  which  outcrop  near  the  old  coal  openings  on  the 
Waupecan,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  20,  township  33  north,  range  7 
east.  I  was  unable  to  find  any  outcrop  of  beds  above  the  coal,  and  did  not 
learn  whether  any  were  seen  in  the  deeper  parts  of  the  mine.  Near  the  out- 
crop, a  foot  of  coal  was  left  as  a  working  roof.  The  seam  is  five  feet  thick, 
resting  on  a  bed  of  fire  clay.  It  is  coal  No.  4,  of  the  Illinois  valley  section. 
The  connection  below  is  not  exposed,  but,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  floor  of 
the  seam,  not  over  ten  feet,  we  came  upon  a  coarse,  ferruginous,  shaly  sand- 
stone, filled  with  fragments  of  Lepidodendron,  Calamites,  Neuropteris  hirsuta, 
etc.,  with  an  occasional  streak  of  coaly  matter.  Of  this  bed,  there  is  a  low, 


GRUNDY   COUNTY.  •  195 

nearly  continuous  outcrop  for  a  mile  up  the  stream,  the  last  spot  observed  being 
at  "  Hog-grove  quarry,"  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  28.  At  the  road 
crossing,  about  half  a  mile  down  the  creek  fronj  the  coal  mine,  the  sandstone 
rises  a  little,  and  exposes  about  six  feet  of  blue  and  black  shales,  filled  with 
small  Mollusca  of  the  genera  Pleurotomaria^  Macrocheilus,  Euomphalus,  Ortho- 
ceras,  Nucula,  Aviculopecten,  Productus,  Chonetes,  Hemipr-onites,  etc.,  and  yield- 
ing some  small  remains  of  fish,  such  as  Petrodus  octidentaliz,  and  the  type  of 
the  new  Crustaceon,  Ceratiocdris  ?  sinuatiis,  M.  and  W.  The  lower  part  of  the 
blue  shale  holds  two  thin  layers  of  rusty  brown  nodules  of  carbonate  of  iron, 
which  often  partially  or  wholly  include  shells  of  the  above  named  Mollusca. 
The  upper  part  of  the  black  shale  also  contains  nodules  of  the  same  material, 
(with  probably  some  phosphate  of  lime,)  but  smaller  and  less  evenly  distribu- 
ted ;  the  smaller  of  these  contain  comminuted  scales  and  bones  of  fishes,  and 
judging  from  both  form  and  contents,  are  probably  the  'fossil  excrement  of 
larger  fishes.  These  beds,  with  others,  outcrop  at  intervals  for  about  a  mile 
along  the  right  bank  of  the  stream;  and  the  following  section  will  fairly  repre- 
sent the  whole: 

FEET. 

1.  Sandy  shale 5 

2.  Blue  clay  shale 3 

3.  Fissile  sandstone 15 

4.  Blue  clay  shale,  with  iron  nodules 4 2    to  5 

5.  Black  shale,  top  slaty,  with  small  nodules,  bottom  very  fragile 2      "3 

G.  Cone-in-cone,  locally  becoming  a  solid  limestone $    "  1£ 

7.  Soft  olive  shale 1£ 

8.  Solid  gritty  sandstone 1 

Another  outcrop,  on  nearly  the  same  horizon,  occurs  on  Morgan  creek,  from 
the  center  of  the  south  line  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  6,  town- 
ship 32  north,  range  8  east,  to  near  the  center  of  the  south  line  of  section  25, 
township  33  north,  range  7  east.  The  strata  are  here  very  irregular  in  thick- 
ness, but  the  following  section  gives  an  average  representation  of  the  exposed 
outcrop: 

FEET.      IN. 

1.  Ironstone  conglomerate,  (local.) 6 

2.  Sandstone . 8 

3.  Black  shale,  some  slaty,  with  large  ironstones 3  to  4 

4.  Cone-in-cone,  running  into  massive  limestone 2  to  6 

5.  Olive  shales,  changing  into  concretionary  argillaceous  limestone 5  "  7 

6.  Soft  black  shale 2  "  3 

7.  Blue  clay  shale 9 

8.  Coal  No.  3  ? 2 

9.  White  fire  clay ? 

Small  quantities  of  coal  have  been  mined  at  this  seam  at  several  points 
along  the  limited  outcrop.  The  latest  opening  was  by  Mr.  Herald,  for  his  own 


196  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

use,  just  back  of  his  house,  on  section  1,  township  32  north,  range  7  east.  The 
coal  was  said  to  be  good  house  fuel,  but  rather  soft ;  none  could  be  found  at 
the  time  of  my  visit.  The  argillaceous  limestone  of  No.  5,  of  this  section, 
generally  contains  numerous  shells  of  the  genera  Productus,  Athyris,  Tercbra- 
tula,  etc.,  and  some  fragments  of  crinoids.  The  coal  apparently  holds  the  po- 
sition of  the  thin  coal  which  locally  underlies  No.  56  of  the  LaSalle  county 
section.  (See  Vol.  iii,  p.  267.) 

The  outcrop  along  the  Mazon  appears  nearly  continuous,  but  still  I  have  not 
been  able  to  satisfy  myself  as  to  the  connection  of  the  above  beds  with  those 
of  the  lower  part  of  the  stream.  The  strata  there  developed  consist  of  very 
variable  sandy  clay  shales  and  sandstones,  in  some  places  becoming  nearly 
pure  clay  shales,  but  containing  many  nodules  of  carbonate  of  iron.  Pine 
Bluff,  at  the  lowermost  crossing  of  the  Mazon,  is  composed  of  about  forty 
feet  of  heavily  bedded,  but  rather  fissile  sandstone,  partly  nearly  white,  partly 
highly  ferrug'nous.  Less  than  a  mile  up  the  creek,  the  lower  part  of  this  bed 
changes  to  highly  argillaceous  sandy  shales,  with  occasional  streaks  and  nodules 
of  sandstone.  The  section  is  not  quite  continuous,  but  there  is  no  distinct  line 
of  demarcation  to  separate  these  latter  beds  from  the  ferruginous  sandy  shales, 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  thick,  of  section  24,  of  township  33  north,  range  7  east, 
which  contain  large  numbers  of  the  fossiliferous  nodules  of  carbonate  of  iron, 
for  which  this  locality  has  become  famous.  Besides  the  many  species  of  ferns, 
which  are  named  in  Mr.  Lesquereux's  report,  in  this  volume,  the  nodules  also 
contain  the  fossil  insects,  Miamia  Bronsoni,  M.  Danse,  Hcmeristia  occidentalis, 
Clirestotes  lapidea,  Mylacris  anthracophila,  Megathentomum  pustulatum,  Euphe- 
merites  simplex,  E.  gigas,  E.  affinis  ;  the  Myriapods,  Euphoberia  armigera,,  E.f 
major,  Anthracerpes  typus;  the  Arachnids,  Eoscorpius  carbonarius,  Mazonia 
Woodiana  ;  the  Crustaceans,  Anthrapalsemon  gracilis,  Polxocaris  typus,  Acan- 
thotelson  Eveni,  A.  Stimpsoni,  A.  insequalis,  Euproops  Danse,,  Eurypterus,  (An- 
thraconectes,)  Mazonensis;  the  Worm,  Palceocampa  anthrax;  the  Salamander,  Am- 
phibamus  grandiceps,  with  three  or  four  undescribed  Fish  and  Ostracoid  Crusta- 
ceans. It  is  thus  evident  that  this  is  one  of  the  richest  deposits  of  Carbonifer- 
ous Articulates  ever  discovered,  if  not  the  richest. 

These  nodules  range  from  about  two  to  about  ten  feet  above  the  main  coal 
seam  of  all  this  region,  the  intervening  space  being  occupied  by  the  soft,  blue 
clay  shales,  filled  with  fossil  plants,  which,  at  most  points,  overlie  this  seam. 

About  a  mile  farther  up  the  stream,  coal  has  heen  dug  in  the  bed  and  banks 
of  the  stream,  but  is  now  abandoned.  Still  farther  south,  near  the  southeast 
corner  of  section  19,  township  33  north,  range  8  east,  a  shaft  was  recently 
sunk,  by  Mr.  Wm.  Burt,  upon  the  creek  bottom,  starting  at  about  twenty-five 
feet  below  the  general  level  of  the  prairie.  The  section  is  as  follows : 


GRUNDY   COUNTY,  197 

FEET.       IN. 

Blue  clay  and  sandy  shale,  with  ferns .... ,    20 

Coal 3 

Soft  black  shale 6  to  8 

Fire  clay,  with  rootlets 6  "  8 

Hard,  sandy  clay 8 

Fireclay , , 2            6 

At  this  place,  the  coal  is  about  eight  feet  below  the  bed  of  the  creek. 
Near  the  water  level,  an  offshoot  from  the  main  seam,  about  seven  inches 
thick,  is  exposed  in  the  bank ;  the  shales  immediately  over  it  afforded  a  few 
plants. 

Near  the  center  of  section  18,  township  33  north,  range  8  east,  Mr.  John 
Holderman's  artesian  well  has  afforded  the  following  section,  kindly  furnished 
by  Mr.  A.  J.  Henry,  who  had  charge  of  the  boring : 

FEET. 

Gravel 15 

Sandstone 34 

Coal    3 

Sandy  shale , 88 

Limestone 185 

It  will  be  noticed  that  this  section  gives  the  sandstone  as  immediately  over- 
lying the  coal.  This  condition  of  the  seam  has  been  elsewhere  noticed,  so  far  as 
I  can  learn,  only  in  a  shaft  recently  sunk  near  the  southeast  corner  of  section 
9  of  the  same  township,  and  in  one  shaft  in  the  adjoining  part  of  Will  county. 

Mr.  Henry  has  also  furnished  me  the  section  of  the  well  bored  by  him  at 
the  railroad  station  in  Morris,  from  which  an  abundance  of  water  is  now 
flowing,  as  follows : 

FEET.  IN. 

Shale,  with  sandstone  layers 63 

Coal 2     10 

Fire  clay. 4 

Shales  and  clays 100 

Hard  limestone,  "  Trenton." 200 

White  sandstone,  "  St  Peters." 37 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Illinois  river,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Morris,  the 
coal  outcrops  in  the  bank  of  the  canal,  and  in  the  stretch  of  low  land  about 
one  mile  to  the  northward.  The  overlying  beds  are  here  mostly  blue  clay 
shales,  with  occasional  irregular  layers  of  sandstone.  The  iron  nodules,  above 
mentioned,  occur  here  at  the  same  level,  but  not  in  so  great  numbers  as  at  the 
Mazon  locality.  The  shales  immediately  above  the  coal  frequently  yield  mag- 
nificent specimens  of  fossil  ferns  and  other  plants.  The  following  section  of 
the  seam  and  its  overlying  beds  was  obtained  at  the  shaft  of  Messrs.  Symonds 
&  Jones,  just  south  of  the  railroad  station  at  Morris  : 


198  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

FEET. 

Boulder  clay 8 

Ferruginous  sandstone * 1 

Shale 20 

S  h;ily  sandstone 19 

Shale,  filled  with  fossil  ferns  12 

Coal 3 

Soft  slaty  coal 1 

Fire  clay 3 

In  the  north  part  of  township  33  north,  range  6  east,  the  shaly  sandstones, 
overlying  this  seam,  are  exposed  in  the  bottom  of  every  little  run  which  cuts 
away  the  soil  from  the  edge  of  the  second  terrace,  and  fragments  of  them  are 
found  scattered  just  below  the  surface  over  the  whole  lower  flat. 

It  has  long  been  a  favorite  theory  with  miners  that  another  seam  of  coal 
could  be  found,  by  sinking  shafts  in  the  bottom  of  the  present  working.  This 
is  not  impossible,  at  points  farther  from  the  outcrop ;  but  at  Morris,  and  to  the 
eastward,  the  coal  lies  directly  upon  Lower  Silurian  rocks,  with  only  four  or 
five  feet  of  fire  clay  to  separate  them.  This  is  shown  at  several  points. 

I  had  supposed  that  the  seam  had  formerly  extended,  in  its  full  thickness, 
much  further  northward;  but  two  wells,  one  in  section  27,  and  the  other  in 
section  13,  township  34  north,  range  7  east,  after  passing  through  the  fossili- 
ferous  shales  which  overlie  the  coal,  met  with  only  about  ten  inches  of  soft 
coaly  shale,  underlaid  by  a  few  inches  of  greenish  clay  shale,  with  small  rounded 
grains  of  calcareous  (?)  matter,  (probably  belonging  to  the  Cincinnati  group,) 
which  rested  upon  the  solid  limestones  of  the  Trenton.  The  artesian  boring  of 
Mr.  Samuel  Holderman,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  3,  township  33 
north,  range  8  east,  after  passing  through  forty-seven  feet  of  the  sandstone  and 
clay  shales  which,  everywhere  to  the  southward  of  that  point,  overlie  the  coal, 
passed  directly  into  a  solid  limestone  which  I  can  only  refer  to  the  Trenton 
group.  From  these  and  similar  facts,  I  am  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  pres- 
ent line  of  workings  corresponds  very  nearly  with  the  original  outline  of  de- 
posit of  the  true  coal  seam,  while  beyond  this  line,  only  occasional  small  outly- 
ing patches  will  ever  be  found,  though  thin  layers  of  coaly  shale  may  be  met 
with  some  miles  further  northward.  On  the  AuSable  creek,  a  few  miles  north 
of  the  county  line,  small  quantities  of  coaly  shale  and  cannel  coal  have  been 
found,  but  they  are  probably  of  no  practical  value,  and  have  no  direct  connec- 
tion with  the  Morris  seam. 

Upon  the  lower  part  of  the  AuSable,  however,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  19,  township  34  north,  range  8  east,  there  is  a  peculiar  outcrop  of  proba- 
bly the  lower  seam.  We  have  here  a  seam  of  coal  twenty-eight  inches  thick? 
with  a  floor  of  fire  clay  at  least  six  feet  thick,  and  a  roof  of  black  shale  which 
is,  at  the  outcrop,  quite  solid  and  a  foot  thick ;  but,  at  the  shaft,  perhaps  fifty 


GRUNDY   COUNT?.  199 

yards  distant,  it  thickens  to  between  five  and  six  feet,  and  becomes  quite  soft. 
This  shale  has  yielded  a  few  small  Discinse,  and  Lingulse,  and  a  few  fragments 
of  fish  scales  ;  but  these  are  not  sufficient  to  determine  its  position  in  the  series. 
The  bed  seems  to  be  but  a  small  outlier,  covering  only  a  few  acres,  as  borings 
to  the  southward  and  westward  have  failed  to  find  any  continuation  of  the  bed 
in  these  directions,  while  to  the  northward  and  eastward,  the  shales  and  lime- 
stones of  the  Lower  Silurian,  outcrop  within  a  few  hundred  yards.  I  am  still 
uncertain  whether  this  is  a  locally  peculiar  condition  of  the  main  seam,  or  lies 
above  or  below  it.  If  it  be  the  main  seam,  the  black  roof  shales  are  probably 
the  equivalent  of  the  bed  mentioned  in  the  LaSalle  county  section  as  lying 
there  about  eighteen  feet  above  the  coal  j  but  no  other  outcrop  of  it  has  been 
seen  in  this  part  of  Grundy,  though  it  appears  in  Wilson's  shaft  in  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  county. 

Another  peculiar  outcrop,  of  uncertain  connections,  is  along  the  Kankakee, 
from  the  east  line  of  the  county  to  the  "  Head  of  the  Illinois/'  in  section  36, 
township  34  north,  range  8  east,  where  the  river  has  cut  through  some  fifty 
feet  of  shales  and  sandstones  of  the  Coal  Measures,  including  a  thin  seam  of 
coal,  and  has  reached  the  underlying  shaly  limestone  of  the  Cincinnati  group. 
A  few  indistinct  plants  have  been  met  with  in  the  sandstone,  but  in  too  poor 
condition  for  specific  determination.  The  following  section  was  taken  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river,  about  midway  of  the  length  of  the  exposure  as  above 
named: 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Soil  and  gravel 2 

2.  Boulder  clay. 2 

3.  Dark  purplish  shaly  clay , 2 

4.  Ferruginous  shale 3 

5.  Coal 10 

6.  Coaly  shale,  with  thin  layers  of  sandstone 8  to  10 

Y.     Sandstone 6 

8.  Gypsiferous  clay 3 

9.  Olive  shales 3 

10.  Ash  colored  shales,  with  limestone  nodules 8 

1 1.  Limestone  of  Cincinnati  group 

In  other  parts  of  the  outcrop,  the  ash  colored  shales,  No.  10,  contain  as  many 
as  six  distinct  layers  of  the  limestone  nodules,  which  appear  like  good  material 
for  making  hydraulic  cement.  The  sandstone  No.  7,  thickens  to  the  south- 
ward, aud  forms  at  least  fifteen  feet  of  the  bluff  at  Schoonmaker's  ford,  on  the 
county  line,  where  it  contains  many  spherical  concretions,  both  large  and  small, 
and  a  few  indistinct  Lepidodendra  and  Catamites.  The  coaly  shales,  No.  6, 
become  more  carbonaceous  in  the  same  direction,  and  finally  are  replaced  by  a 
true  coal,  which,  with  No.  5,  forms  a  layer  which  is  known  in  the  neighbor- 


200  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

hood  as  the  Schoonmaker  coal,  and  is  found  to  be  ten  and  a  half  feet  thick  at 
Schoonmaker's  shaft,,  near  the  center  of  section  7,  township  33  north,  range  9 
east.  Its  relation  to  other  seams  are  still  doubtful.  (See  further,  Report  on 
Will  county.) 

In  ascending  the  DesPlaines  river,  from  its  junction  with  the  Kankakee,  the 
sandstone  of  the  above  section,  No.  7,  is  found  at  intervals  for  about  two  miles 
on  the  south  bank,  but  does  not  cross  the  river  above  the  "feeder  "  aqueduct, 
at  Old  Kankakee. 

The  outline  of  the  Coal  Measures  in  this  county,  may  be  roughly  stated  as  a 
line  running  from  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  county,  with  some  varia- 
tions, in  an  east  southeast  course  to  the  mine  on  AuSable  creek,  just  above  the 
railroad;  thence,  southeasterly  to  the  Groose  Lake  slough,  and  easterly  to  the 
east  end  of  the  lake  ;  thence,  northerly  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kankakee. 

Cincinnati  Group. — The  shales  and  shaly  limestones  of  this  group  outcrop  in 
the  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  showing  most  prominently  upon  the  high 
ground  between  Goose  Lake  and  the  Head  of  the  Illinois.  This  outcrop  con- 
sists of  coarsely  granular,  highly  fossiliferous,  ferruginous  limestones,  readily 
disintegrated  by  the  weather,  which  have  been  used,  to  some  extent,  for  fences. 
This  outcrop  continues  southward  for  about  a  mile,  and  forms  the  bottom  of  the 
north  half  of  Goose  Lake,  the  south  half  being  underlaid  with  coal.  At  the 
ford  of  the  Kankakee,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  36,  township  34 
north,  range  8  east,  beds  of  soft  blue  shaly  limestone,  which  probably  lie  near 
the  base  of  this  group,  outcrop  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  but  show  little  upon 
the  bank,  and  contain  but  few  and  indistinct  fossils. 

From  the  bed  of  the  canal,  a  half  mile  west  of  Dresden,  there  were  thrown 
out  considerable  quantities  of  a  heavy,  but  rather  cellular  ferruginous  limestone, 
in  heavy  layers,  probably  belonging  below  the  beds  above  mentioned.  The  out- 
crop at  this  point,  did  not  quite  reach  the  surface.  Over  most  of  the  county, 
north  of  the  Illinois,  the  Alluvial  and  Drift  deposits  cover  the  country  so 
deeply  as  to  allow  of  outcrops  only  along  the  streams.  In  ascending  the  Au- 
Sable creek  from  the  railroad,  we  frequently  see  scattered  fragments  of  the 
shaly  limestones  of  this  group,  but  meet  with  no  outcrop  until  we  approach  the 
middle  of  section  3,  township  34  north,  range  8  east,  where  small  quantities  of 
stone  have  been  quarried  for  wells  and  under-pinnings.  From  this  point  there 
is  a  nearly  continuous  outcrop  to  some  distance  above  the  county  line.  Fossils 
are  numerous,  such  as  Clisetetes  lycoperdon,  Pleurotomaria  bilix,  Orthis  testudi- 
naria,  Leptsenasericea,  Ambonychia  radiata,  Calymene  sendria,  etc.  These  beds 
were  struck  at  one  hundred  feet,  in  a  boring  through  the  boulder  clay  at  Mi- 
nooka. 

A  small  outcrop  of  rock  of  this  age  is  exposed  in  the  bed  of  Collins' s  run,  a 
branch  of  the  AuSable,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  18,  of  the  same 


GRUNDY   COUNTY. 

township.  The  rock  here  is  a  rather  more  solid  limestone,  breaking  irregu- 
larly, and  containing  but  few  fossils.  It  is  reported  that  similar  small  outcrops 
occur  farther  up  this  run,  but  they  have  not  been  opened,  so  as  to  know  whether 
stone  of  any  value  can  be  obtained.  Similar  outcrops  were  observed  in  the 
bottoms  of  ditches  near  the  middle  of  the  north  line  of  township  34  northj 
range  7  east.  In  the  borings  about  Morris,  only  a  few  feet  of  beds  which  can 
be  referred  to  this  group  are  found  between  the  Coal  Measures  and  the  under- 
lying Trenton  limestone,  and  to  the  northward  of  that  place,  no  such  beds  have 
been  found. 

Trenton  Limestone. — The  two  remaining  outcrops  of  rock  in  this  county  are 
limestones  of  the  Trenton  group,  probably  near  its  top.  The  principal  one  is 
near  the  center  of  section  24,  township  34  north,  range  7  east,  where  Mr.  H. 
Waters  has,  for  "some  years,  quarried  stone  for  building  and  for  making  lime. 
The  top  layers  of  the  quarry  are  thin,  and  somewhat  stained  with  iron.  Be- 
low these,  the  rock  is  a  heavily  bedded,  gray  or  light  drab,  fine  grained,  clink- 
ing limestone,  not  very  rich  in  fossil,  but  yielding  some  good  specimens  of  Re- 
ceptac^llites,  Illsenus,  Strophomena,  Leptsena,  Orthis,  Discina,  Murchisonia,  Or- 
thoceras,  etc.  These  have  been  penetrated  to  the  depth  of  twenty  feet,  without 
exposing  any  other  layers ;  but  it  is  said  that  at  one  point  the  drill  passed 
into  a  pocket  of  a  softer  black  material,  which  strengthened  the  owner's  pre- 
vious opinion  that  the  coal  seam  extended  under  his  quarry.  Possibly  this 
may  have  been  a  small  deposit  of  carbonaceous  material  analagous  to  the  petro- 
leum which  this  rock  has  yielded  in  small  quantities  in  the  adjoining  county  of 
LaSalle.  These  beds  contain  small  portions  of  pyrite  (sulphid  of  iron)  dis 
seminated  through  the  whole  mass.  There  were  also  occasional  streaks  of  soft 
clay.  The  quarry  has  exposed  two  sets  of  crevices,  one  tending  south  45° 
west,  and  the  other  south  35°  east.  These  crevices  are  filled  with  a  fine  clay 
of  very  nearly  the  same  color  as  the  limestone,  through  which  are  sparsely  dis- 
seminated small  crystals  of  blende  (sulphid  of  zinc,)  with  occasional  pyramidal 
crystals  of  pyrite  ;  no  galenite  has  been  observed. 

The  remaining  outcrops  of  this  rock  are  in  the  beds  of  the  AuSable,  on  the 
two  sides  of  the  yoke-like  bend  of  the  stream,  in  the  east  half  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  19,  town  34  north,  range  8  east,  and  consist  of  small  patches 
of  a  thin-bedded,  fine-grained  limestone,  containing  but  few  fossils. 

In  the  Morris  boring,  the  Trenton  limestone  is  two  hundred  feet  thick. 

St.  Peters  /Sandstone. — This  rock  has  been  struck  at  the  railroad  station  in 
Morrs,  at  a  depth  of  about  three  hundred  and  seventy  feet,  and  here,  as  else- 
where in  this  region,  has  furnished  a  constant  and  abundant  supply  of  artesian 
water. 


—26 


202  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

Economical      Geology* 

Under  this  head  we  have  to  consider  coal,  potter's  clay,  brick,  building  stone, 
lime,  hydraulic  lime,  iron  ore  and  water. 

Coal,  as  already  stated,  underlies  fully  three-fourths  of  the  county,  the  seam 
averaging  about  three  feet,  except  on  the  borders  of  the  field.  It  is  very  large- 
ly worked  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Morris,  by  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  shafts — twice  as  many  are  now  deserted — varying  from  thirty  to  sixty 
feet  in  depth,  and  several  extensive  "  strippings."  Some  of  these  strippings 
uncover  coal  thirty  inches  thick,  which  is  about  the  average  thickness  in  this 
neighborhood;  while  others,  on  the  borders  of  the  outcrop,  find  not  more  than 
eighteen  inches.  West  of  Nettle  creek  timber,  no  shafts  have  been  opened, 
though  the  seam  cannot  be  anywhere,  on  this  side  of  the  river,  more  than 
eighty  feet  below  the  level  of  the  canal,  and  in  most  places  much  less  than  that. 
A  well  on  Gen.  Birney's  place,  four  miles  west  of  Morris,  stopped,  at.  a  depth 
of  thirty  feet,  in  soft,  blue  clay  shales,  apparently  only  a  few  feet  above  the 
coal. 

A  smaller  cluster  of  shafts  and  strippings  is  found  to  the  south  and  west 
of  Goose  lake,  with  the  average  thickness  of  full  thirty  inches.  At  a  stripping 
in  the  southwest  corner  of  section  12,  town  33  north,  range  8  east,  the  bed  is 
locally  thickened  to  over  four  feet,  but  contains,  near  its  center,  a  heavy  band 
of  crystalline  carbonate  of  iron  and  lime,  with  much  disseminated  pyrite.  The 
coal  covers  the  bottom  of  the  south  half  of  Goose  lake. 

This  seam  is  also  worked  at  Braceville,  (section  25,  town.  32  north,  range  8 
east,)  by  a  shaft  ninety-eight  feet  deep,  and  in  section  26  of  the  same  town- 
ship, by  a  shaft  of  one  hundred  and  ten  feet.  At  Gardner,  (section  4,  town.  31 
north,  range  8  east,)  it  is  worked  by  a  shaft  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  deep. 
In  the  southeast  corner  of  this  township,  three  or  four  shafts,  of  about  sixty 
feet  each,  work  this  seam  in  its  usual  condition ;  but  one,  in  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  section  25,  finds  a  roof  of  black,  slaty  shale,  with  heavy  iron-stone  con- 
cretions covering  about  three  feet  of  a  very  pure  "block  coal,"  with  much  min- 
eral charcoal  in  the  partings.  Both  the  coal  and  the  accompanying  beds,  at  the 
mine  on  AuSahle  creek,  closely  resemble  the  conditions  found  here ;  and  at  both 
points  I  have  been  unable  to  decide  whether  they  represent  a  local  change  of 
the  main  seam,  or  are  portions  of  a  lower  seam  which  is  only  occasionally  pre- 
sent. 1  at  present  favor  the  former  view. 

The  upper  seams,  which  have  been  worked  upon  the  Waupecan  creek,  and 
upon  the  Mazon,  near  the  mouth  of  Johnny  run,  apparently  occur  over  only 
small  areas  at  either  locality;  and  elsewhere,  whenever  met  with,  they  have 
proved  to  be  irregular  seams,  locally  quite  thick,  but  often  running  out  to  a  mere 
streak  of  coaly  matter,  and  even  disappearing  altogether.  It  is  probable  that 


GRUNDT   COUNTY.  203 

the  Waupecan  bed  is  nearly  exhausted,  but  other  portions  of  the  seam  will  pro- 
bably be  found  farther  southward,  if  borings  or  shafts  should  be  sunk.  The 
Mazon  seam  is,  apparently,  the  equivalent  of  a  seam  which,  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  coal-field,  in  the  Wabash  valley,  is  usually  too  thin  to  work,  except  at  a 
single  point,  where  it  reaches  twenty-two  inches.  Still,  as  it  lies  near  the  sur- 
face, and  is  reputed  to  be  good  fuel,  it  will  probably  be  mined,  to  some  extent, 
as  population  increases  in  that  part  of  the  county. 

The  outcrops  are  not  sufficient  to  give  any  exact  data  as  to  the  dips,  but  I 
see  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  main  seam  lies  at  a  greater  depth  than  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  any  part  of  the  county,  and  I  doubt  whether  it  is  any 
where  so  deep  as  that.  Whenever,  therefore,  any  portion  of  the  southern  part 
of  the  county  becomes  so  thickly  settled  as  to  create  any  considerable  demand 
for  coal,  it  can  be  obtained  on  the  spot  without  much  difficulty.  This  seam  is 
of  pretty  constant  thickness,  at  every  point  where  it  has  been  opened,  and  the 
miner  can  rely  upon  finding  a  paying  thickness  of  coal  at  almost  any  point  in 
this  part  of  the  county,  even  if  he  sink  his  shaft  without  the  usual  preliminary 
boring.  At  many  points,  also,  one  or  more  of  the  upper  seams  would  be  found 
much  nearer  the  surface,  with  from  two  to  nine  feet  of  coal. 

In  the  openings  of  this  county,  as  elsewhere,  the  miner  is  often  troubled  with 
"faults"  and  "rolls,"  which  interrupt  the  regularity  and  even  the  continuity 
of  the  seam.  Upon  the  outer  edge  of  the  field,  near  Morris  and  to  the  east- 
ward, the  dip  of  the  seam  is  very  variable  and  irregular,  which  greatly  inter- 
feres with  the  drainage  of  the  mines  in  many  cases.  Much  of  this  seems  to 
have  resulted  from  the  irregularity  of  the  denuded  surface  of  the  Silurian  rocks 
upon  which  the  coal  was  deposited;  but,  in  one  or  two  cases,  I  have  been  led 
to  consider  the  contortions  as  the  result  of  the  removal  of  the  subjacent  lime- 
stone by  solution  in  subterranean  streams  after  the  deposition  of  the  coal.  This 
is  the  only  solution  which  I  can  devise  for  the  reported  condition  of  the  seam, 
in  a  shaft  a  short  distance  east  of  the  Jugtown  pottery.  In  this  neighborhood, 
the  seam  is  generally  about  twenty  feet  below  the  surface ;  but,  in  the  shaft 
referred  to,  it  was  found  forty  feet  down,  and  after  yielding  about  three  hun- 
dred bushels,  the  coal  ceased  abruptly,  on  all  sides. 

So  far  as  known,  all  the  coal  mined  in  the  county  contains  more  or  less  pyrite 
— "  sulphur,"  of  the  miners — and  streaks  of  calcite ;  but  this  is  so  variable,  even 
in  neighboring  portions  of  the  same  mine,  that  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt 
to  discriminate  between  the  products  of  the  different  shafts.  "  Stripped  "  coal 
is  always  inferior  to  that  from  a  shaft  of  considerable  depth,  from  its  greater 
exposure  to  atmospheric  and  aqueous  influences.  As  a  whole,  the  product  of 
the  main  seam  is  a  fine  steam  and  grate  coal,  and  is  largely  shipped  to  the  Chi- 
cago market,  the  distance  being  only  sixty-two  miles.  The  Waupecan  coal;  not 
now  mined,  is  said  to  have  made  much  less  "  clinker"  than  the  lower  seam,  but 


204  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

its  yield  of  ash  was  very  much  greater,  being  from  six  to  eight  per  cent.,  while 
that  of  the  lower  seam  is  from  one  to  three  per  cent. 

BricJc. — There  are  several  large  brick-yards  near  Morris,  which  manufacture 
brick  from  the  decomposed  shales  which  overlie  the  lower  coal.  As  these  beds 
contain  considerable  calcareous  matter,  the  brick  arc  not  very  firm,  and  do  not 
stand  the  weather  well.  It  would  appear  probable  that  the  fire  clay  below  the 
coal  would  make  a  better  article.  This  has  not  been  tried  at  Morris,  but  at  the 
Gardner  coal  shaft  the  manufacture  has  been  recently  commenced.  The  fire 
clay,  and  soft  clay  shales  underlying  it,  are  said  to  be  thirty-five  feet  deep,  and 
so  much  of  these  beds  as  may  be  convenient,  in  mining  the  coal,  is  dug  out  and 
used  promiscuously.  Without  thorough  grinding,  therefore,  in  the  pug-mill, 
the  bricks  are  variable  in  character  and  irregular  in  burning. 

Potter's  Clay. — The  only  bed  known  and  worked,  is  that  previously  noticed, 
as  occurring  near  the  west  end  of  Goose  lake,  and  extensively  used,  at  Jug- 
town,  in  the  manufacture  of  a  good  grade  of  domestic  earthenware,  together 
with  drain-tile  and  sewer-pipes.  The  bed  consists  of  more  or  less  thoroughly 
decomposed  clay  shale  and  fire  clay  of  the  Coal  Measures,  containing  many 
fragments  of  coal,  thoroughly  mingled,  and  deposited  in  a  low  part  of  the  old 
river  channel,  which  contains  Goose  lake,  by  the  current  of  the  river  which 
formerly  flowed  there.  The  mixed  character  of  the  materials  has  given  much 
trouble  to  the  potters.  The  bed  has  been  worked  to  a  depth  of  about  fifteen 
feet. 

Building  Stone. — The  only  considerable  source  of  building  stone  in  this 
county  is  Waters's  quarry  of  Trenton  limestone,  in  Saratoga,  about  four  miles 
northeast  of  Morris.  This  yields  an  abundance  of  a  light  gray  or  drab,  massive 
limestone,  which  has  been  extensively  used  for  foundation  walls,  and  in  a  few 
cases  also  for  the  superstructures.  It  appears  fitted  to  stand  the  weather  as 
well  as  any  ordinary  stone.  It  is  said  to  dress  well. 

The  Cincinnati  group,  along  the  AuSable  creek,  near  the  county  line,  yields 
small  quantities  of  stone  for  wells  and  foundations,  but  nothing  suitable  for  su- 
perstructures. Beds  of  the  same  group  upon  the  northern  side  of  Goose  Lake, 
have  been  quarried  slightly,  for  similar  purposes. 

Upon  the  bank  of  Waupecan  creek,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  18, 
township  33  north,  range  7  east,  Mr.  Starr  has  quarried  small  quantities  of  a 
very  solid  limestone,  No.  6,  of  the  Waupecan  section,  as  given  above. 

A  sandstone,  representing  Nos.  1  and  3  of  the  same  section,  has  been  quar- 
ried to  some  extent  for  foundations,  on  the  upper  part  of  the  stream,  at  Hog- 
grove  quarry,  and  has  given  good  satisfaction  ;  though  where  exposed  to  the 
weather,  it  crumbles  rapidly.  The  same  defect  exists  in  the  sandstone  of  Pine 
Bluff. 


GRUNDY    COUNTY.  205 

All  deficiencies  in  this  respect,  however,  can  be  readily  supplied  from  the 
neighboring  quarries  of  Joliet. 

Lime. — The  limestone  of  Waters's  quarry  is  burned  for  lime  in  large  quan- 
tities, and  is  said  to  furnish  a  very  good  article,  though  care  must  be  taken  to 
exclude  from  the  kiln  the  more  ferruginous  layers. 

Hydraulic  Lime. — The  only  hydraulic  limestone  found  in  the  county  occurs 
in  nodules  along  the  Kankakee,  and  in  very  small  quantity.  The  abundant 
supply  of  this  material  from  LaSalle  county,  makes  these  deposits  valueless. 

Builder's  Sand  can  be  obtained  in  limitless  quantities  from  the  sand  ridges 
of  the  river  valley.  From  one  of  these  ridges,  about  one  mile  south  of  Morris, 
large  quantities  of  road  gravel  are  also  obtained. 

Iron  Ore. — The  ironstone  nodules  (carbonate  of  iron)  of  the  Mazon  andWau- 
pecan,  are  not  sufficiently  abundant  to  supply  a  furnace  ;  and  the  bog-ore,  no- 
ticed near  Waters's  limestone  quarry,  has  not  yet  been  tested  for  either  quan- 
tity or  quality. 

Water. — In  a  dry  season,  large  portions  of  this  county  are  very  scantily  sup- 
plied with  water.  In  ordinary  seasons,  wells  running  ten  or  fifteen  feet  into 
the  top  of  the  Drift,  supply  all  needs;  but  in  the  western  part  of  the  county, 
reliable  wells  can  be  obtained  only  by  passing  through  the  boulder  clay  to  the 
underlying  quicksand.  The  lower  seam  of  coal  is  everywhere  accompanied  by 
an  abundance  of  water,  which  is  pure  and  good,  until  the  working  of  the  coal 
exposes  the  accompanying  pyrite  to  decomposition.  A  well  recently  bored  at 
the  tile  factory  in  Jugtown,  struck  the  coal  at  about  thirty  feet,  and  gave  exit 
to  a  strong  stream  of  water  highly  charged  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  Small 
springs  of  similar  character  are  said  to  accompany  the  supposed  line  of  outcrop 
of  this  coal  seam,  along  the  foot  of  the  first  terrace,  from  Mazon  creek  nearly 
to  the  Morris  bridge.  A  very  strong  spring  of  this  character  flows  from  be- 
neath the  Drift  gravel,  over  the  black  shale,  No.  3,  of  the  Upper  Mazon  section, 
in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  6,  township  32  north,  range  8  east,  leaving 
a  heavy  white  deposit  of  sulphur  on  the  surface  of  the  shale. 

The  artesian  boring  of  Mr.  Samuel  Holderman,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  3,  township  33  north,  range  8  east,  brings  to  the  surface  a  small,  but 
constant  supply  of  slightly  sulphurous  water  from  the  upper  part  of  the  Tren- 
ton limestone,  at  a  depth  of  about  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  feet.  Mr. 
John  Holderman's  well,  on  section  18,  of  the  same  township,  has  met  with  no 
flowing  water  at  320  feet,  after  penetrating  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet 
of  the  Trenton  limestone.  The  more  recent  successful  boring  at  Morris,  shows 
that  this  limestone  is  two  hundred  feet  thick,  and  that  in  this  county,  as  well 
as  in  LaSalle,  to  the  west,  and  Will,  to  the  east,  the  underlying  St.  Peters 
sandstone  is  full  of  pure  water,  which  is  ready  to  flow  to  the  surface  wherever 


206  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

it  is  tapped.  This  abundant  supply  can  be  reached  anywhere  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  at  about  four  hundred  feet,  and  in  the  southern  part,  at 
probably  nowhere  more  than  six  hundred  feet,  and  in  part  of  it,  much  less 
than  that.  Any  one  boring  for  this  in  the  prairie,  where  drainage  cannot 
readily  be  had  in  every  direction,  should  be  careful  to  so  locate  his  well  as  to 
avoid  the  fate  of  certain  residents  of  Iroquois  county,  who  have  allowed  the 
surplus  water  of  their  wells  to  saturate  the  soil  of  their  orchards,  and  so  drown 
their  trees. 

"  Gras "  wells  in  the  boulder  clay  are  known  at  two  localities.  Near  the 
northeast  corner  of  section  3,  township  32  north,  range  6  east,  Mr.  Whitton's 
well,  at  twenty  feet,  gave  off  so  much  carbonic  acid  as  to  prevent  farther  exca- 
vations. Probably  this  flowed  from  some  ancient  soil,  like  the  muck  beds  en- 
countered in  Livingston,  Champaign  and  McLean  counties.  On  section  35, 
township  34  north,  range  6  east,  Mr.  Cassel's  well,  at  forty-seven  feet,  gave  off 
light  carburetted  hydrogen  with  so  much  noise  as  to  be  heard  at  a  considerable 
distance,  and  in  such  quantity  as  to  blaze  "  as  high  as  the  house,"  for  some 
fifteen  minutes  after  being  approached  with  a  lighted  candle.  The  gas  still 
flows  freely,  though  it  is  several  years  since  the  well  was  dug,  and  a  wagon- 
load  of  gravel  has  been  thrown  in  to  act  as  a  filter  for  the  water,  which  was  at 
first  filled  with  quicksand,  brought  up  by  the  ebullition  of  the  gas.  Similar 
phenomena  have  been  observed  in  wells  recently  dug,  about  a  half  a  mile  far- 
ther south.  Near  the  south  line  of  section  22,  in  the  same  township,  on  land 
of  Mr.  Samuel  Hodge,  is  a  large  spring  which  constantly  gives  off  bubbles  of 
this  gas.  Springs  of  this  character  have  been  found  by  Capt.  H.  C.  Freeman, 
to  accompany  the  outcrop  of  the  lower  seam  of  coal,  in  the  adjoining  part  of 
LaSalle  county,  and  I  am  inclined  to  accept  them  as  partially  indicating  the 
coal  outline  here,  where  the  depth  of  the  Drift  prevents  actual  observation  of 
its  position. 


CHAPTER     XIV. 

WILL  COUNTY. 

Will  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Cook,  on  the  west  by  Kendall  and 
Grundy,  on  the  south  by  Kankakee,  and  on  the  east  by  Kankakee  and  Cook 
counties,  and  the  State  of  Indiana.  Its  form  is  very  irregular,  its  length,  from 
north  to  south,  varying  from  twelve  to  thirty-six  miles,  and  its  breadth  from 
twelve  to  nearly  thirty  miles.  It  includes  twenty-three  entire  townships,  and 
two  fractional  townships  along  the  State  line,  the  whole  amounting  to  some- 
thing over  eight  hundred  and  forty  square  miles. 

This  county  probably  exhibits  as  great  a  variety  of  soil  and  surface  as  any 
portion  of  the  State  of  equal  extent.  Through  its  western  half  flow  the  Des- 
plaines  and  DuPage  rivers,  with  wide  bottoms,  subject  to  annual  overflows, 
and  underlaid,  at  no  great  depth,  through  nearly  their  whole  extent, 
with  beds  of  limestone,  which  two  causes  combine  to  make  these  bottoms 
exceedingly  fertile,  wherever  the  soil  is  deep  enough  to  give  holding-ground 
for  crops. 

The  banks  of  these  rivers,  with  those  of  the  Kankakee,  which  flows  through 
the  southern  part  of  the  county,  being  largely  composed  of  decayed  limestone 
ledges,  and  banks  of  limestone  gravel,  furnish  many  fine  localities  for  the  culti- 
vation of  the  erape  and  other  fruits,  Messrs.  J.  H.  Daniels,  R.  H.  Waterman, 
and  others,  are  already  engaged  in  grape  culture,  near  Wilmington,  with  very 
flattering  success. 

The  eastern  part  of  the  county  is  mostly  rolling  prairie,  with  some  consider- 
able stretches  of  small  timber  in  its  northern  portion,  where  the  high  land  of 
this  part  of  the  county  begins  to  slope  off  toward  Lake  Michigan.  The  ridges 
are  mainly  composed  of  sand  and  gravel,  which  give  good  drainage  to  the  com- 
paratively thin  covering  of  brown  loam,  and  favors  wheat  and  other  small 
grains,  while  the  intermediate  stretches  of  lower  ground  possess  a  heavy  black 
mucky  soil,  underlaid  by  clay,  and  produce  heavy  crops  of  corn. 

The  southwestern  corner  of  the  county,  below  the  Kankakee,  is  a  level 
prairie,  being  the  northern  extremity  of  Grand  Prairie,  and  possesses  the  usual 
heavy,  rich,  black  muck,  which  produces  such  immense  crops  of  corn.  Con- 


208  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

siderable  portions  of  this,  however,  are  occupied  by  coal  miners,  this  being  the 
nearest  source  of  supply  for  the  Chicago  coal  market. 

Throughout  the  valley  of  the  DesPlaines,-  DuPage  and  Kankakee  rivers, 
the  alluvial  deposits  constantly  remind  the  observer  that  this  county  once 
bordered  the  lower  end  and  the  outlets  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  "mounds" 
along  the  DesPlaines,  which  were  formerly  attributed  to  the  industry  of  the 
aboriginal  "  Mound  builders/'  are  evidently  the  islands  and  banks  of  the  old 
western  outlet;  while  the  sandy  ridges  of  the  Kankakee  valley,  apparently 
identical  in  structure  and  in  timber  overgrowth  with  those  now  formed  and 
forming  on  the  shores  of  the  presentlake,  tell  us  of  the  former  existence  of  either 
an  eastern  outlet,  by  the  way  of  either  Deep  creek  or  Salt  creek,  (in  Indiana,) 
and  the  Kankakee,  or,  perhaps  more  probably,  a  lake-like  expansion  of  the 
Kankakee,  before  it  cut  down  through  the  heavy  bedded  Niagara  limestone  and 
the  underlying  shaly  calcareous  sandstones  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  which  form 
the  high  bluff  banks  of  this  river  along  its  course  through  this  county.  These 
sand  ridges  have  been  traced  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Kankakee  as  far  as 
the  mouth  of  Yellow  river,  in  Starke  county,  Indiana,  and  at  frequent  inter- 
vals on  the  north  side  of  it.  Further  remarks  upon  this  subject  will  be  found 
in  the  report  upon  Kankakee  county. 

Among  the  alluvial  deposits  of  the  DesPlaines  valley,  Mount  Joliet  claims 
especial  attention,  from  the  fact  that  it  has  been  made  notorious  by  those  early 
writers  who  supposed  it  to  be  the  work  of  the  "  Mound-builders,"  who  pre- 
ceded the  Indians  in  the  occupancy  of  the  country,  and  also  because  the  bed  of 
clay  at  its  base  is  now  made  of  considerable  economical  value  in  the  production 
of  brick.  This  bed  is  a  light  drab  homogeneous  clay,  from  seven  to  eight  feet 
thick,  of  either  river  or  lake  origin,  and  is  overlaid  by  from  twenty  to  thirty 
feet  of  a  limestone  gravel,  formed  from  the  outcrop  of  Niagara  limestone, 
which  is  continuous  for  several  miles  above  this  point.  This  is  probably  only 
a  remnant  of  a  bed  which  formerly  filled  the  whole  valley,  and  was  cut  away 
again  by  river  action  before  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  were  turned  from 
their  ancient  outlet. 

As  subsequent  in  age  to  this  river  and  lake  alluvium,  we  may  here  refer  to 
the  large  boulders,  which  are  so  abundantly  distributed  over  the  broad  levels 
which  cap  the  first  terrace,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county.  The  ma- 
jority of  them  are  composed  of  "green-stone,"  or  "trap,"  probably  from  the 
Lake  Superior  region,  while  the  remainder  furnish  representatives  of  nearly 
all  the  varieties  of  metamorphic  rocks.  From  their  position  above  the  black 
soil,  it  is  evident  that  they  floated  to  their  present  position  on  fields  of  ice,  not 
long  before  the  river  retired  to  its  present  lower  level.  They  are  especially 
abundant  at  points  where  the  surface  configuration  shows  that  eddies  would  be 
likely  to  form,  which  would  retain  the  ice-floes  until  they  had  time  to  melt 


WILL    COUNTY.  209 

and  drop  the  burdens  of  rock  which  they  had  brought  from  more  northern 
regions. 

Of  the  Drift  proper,  we  see  but  little,  since  the  alluvium  covers  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  surface.  The  boulder  clay,  however,  with  occasionally  a  patch 
of  conglomerated  sand  and  pebbles,  shows  along  the  Kankakee  for  two  or 
three  miles  below  Wilmington,  and  the  same  beds  are  often  met  with  in  deep 
wells  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  and  also  in  the  northwestern  townships 
above  the  DuPage. 

The  gravel  bed  above  the  boulder-clay  is,  at  gome  points,  more  or  less  com- 
pacted by  a  ferruginous  cement,  so  as  to  form  quite  a  solid  conglomerate.  The 
most  notable  instance  of  this  is  at  "  Knowlton  Mound,"  about  a  mile  east  of 
Joliet.  along  the  Cut-off- railroad,  where  huge  masses  of  the  conglomerate  lie 
about  in  every  direction,  the  looser  and  finer  underlying  beds  having  been 
shipped  to  Chicago  for  street  improvements.  Traces  of  iron,  in  the  water 
which  leaches  through  the  overlying  soil  and  clay,  give  to  the  gravel  a  cement- 
ing quality,  so  that  it  packs  very  finely  in  the  roadway,  and,  after  a  few  months' 
use,  can  hardly  be  broken  up  with  a  pick.  C.  Knowlton,  Esq.,  of  Joliet,  the 
owner  of  the  mound,  informs  me  that  between  30,000  and  40,000  yards  of  this 
gravel  were  delivered  in  Chicago  during  the  season  of  1869,  at  a  cost  of  over 
$70,000. 

The  rock  formations  of  the  county  are  confined  to  the  Coal  Measures,  the 
Niagara  limestone  and  the  Cincinnati  group. 

Coal  Measures. — The  rocks  of  the  Coal  Measures  cover  something  less  than 
two  townships  in  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  county.  They  consist  mainly 
of  fine  grained  sandstones,  clay  shales  and  fire-clays,  accompanied  by  one,  or, 
possibly,  two  seams  of  coal. 

The  outcrop  enters  the  county  near  the  mouth  of  the  DesPlaines  river,  in- 
cludes a  few  sections  about  the  junction  of  the  DesPlaines  and  the  Kankakee, 
passes  south  of  the  latter  river  below  the  feeder-dam,  crosses  the  center  of  sec- 
tion 8,  the  west  half  of  section  17,  the  northwest  corner  of  section  20,  the  east 
halves  of  sections  19  and  30,  the  north  halves  of  sections  32  and  33,  and  the 
west  half  of  section  34,  of  township  33  north,  range  9  east,  and  through  the 
west  half  of  section  3,  the  east  half  of  section  9,  the  west  half  of  section  16, 
the  east  halves  of  sections  20,  29  and  32,  of  township  32  north,  range  9  east? 
to  the  southern  line  of  the  county. 

Two  seams  of  coal  appear  to  exist  in  this  county,  viz.  that  worked  at  the 
Schoonmaker  shaft,  in  section  7  of  Wilmington  township,  and  the  main  seam 
of  all  this  region,  which  is  worked  at  all  the  other  mines,  and  is  the  equivalent 
of  No.  2  of  the  general  section  of  the  coals  of  the  Illinois  valley.* 

*See  Geology  of  Illinois,  vol.  Hi.,  p.  5. 
—27 


210  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

The  Schoonrnaker  coal  is  locally  ten  and  a  half  feet  thick,  and  at  no  place  in 
the  workings  is  it  less  than  eight  feet  thick.  So  far  as  known,  it  is  overlaid 
directly  by  brown  and  drab  alluvial  clays;  and,  to  supply  the  deficiency  of 
roof  rock,  the  upper  layers  of  the  coal  are  left  in  place,  the  workings  nowhere 
much  exceeding  six  feet  in  hight.  The  upper  and  lower  benches  are  of  clean 
cubical  coal ;  while  the  central  portion  has  a  very  irregular  fracture,  and  pow- 
ders readily.  As  a  whole,  the  coal  is  impure,  containing  disseminated  pyrite 
and  partings  of  calcite,  and  yielding  a  very  large  proportion  of  ash.  Certain 
portions  of  the  bed  are  quite  free  from  all  these  objections;  but,  here  as  else- 
where, no  pains  has  ever  been  taken  to  separate  the  good  from  the  bad,  and 
the  mine  has  consequently  a  bad  reputation,  though  what  is  dug  still  finds  a 
ready  market.  The  floor  of  this  mine  is  composed  of  from  four  to  six  inches  of 
fire  clay,  resting  upon  a  thin  bedded,  fissile,  carbonaceous,  micaceous  sandstone, 
which  has  been  penetrated  to  the  depth  of  four  or  five  feet  in  the  sump. 

This  seam  is  evidently  the  equivalent  and  continuation  of  the  ten-inch  seam 
of  coal,  accompanied  by  from  eight  to  ten  feet  of  coaly  shale  and  shaly  sand- 
stone, which  outcrops  on  the  bluff  of  the  Kankakee,  about  one  and  a  half  miles 
northwest  of  the  mine,  in  the  edge  of  Grrundy  county.  Above  the  mine,  in 
section  8  of  the  same  township,  this  seam  has  been  worked  in  the  bed  of  the 
river,  and  is  said  to  be  from  three  to  four  feet  thick,  with  a  floor  of  a  few  inches 
of  fire  clay  resting  upon  the  lowest  beds  of  the  Niagara  limestone.  The  coal 
is  here,  of  course,  greatly  deteriorated  by  exposure  ;  but  it  is  considerably  used 
by  the  neighboring  farmers.  This  was  the  first  coal  known  in  all  this  region, 
and  has  been  worked  more  or  less  since  a  very  early  date  in  the  settlement  of 
the  country.  At  Schoonmaker's  ford,  on  the  county  line,  this  seam  is  recog- 
nized in  a  band  of  rotton  coaly  shale  at  the  top  of  the  bluff,  and  is  underlaid 
by  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  of  ferruginous  and  micaceous  shaly  sandstone, 
accompanied  by  concretionary  nodules,  which  sometimes  contain  fragmentary 
remains  of  Lcpidodendron  and  other  plants.  A  short  distance  below  the  ford, 
we  find  this  sandstone  resting  upon  a  few  feet  of  olive  and  ash-colored  shales, 
which,  in  turn,  rest  upon  the  shaly  limestones  of  the  Cincinnati  group.  Where 
this  seam  has  been  worked  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  four  or  five  feet  of  blue  clay 
shale,  with  fossil  ferns,  have  been  reported  as  resting  upon  it,  in  some  cases; 
but,  below  the  county  line,  it  is  overlaid  only  by  a  thin  bed  of  purplish  shaly 
clay,  entirely  destitute  of  fossils. 

The  extent  of  this  bed  is  supposed  to  be  very  limited,  as  borings  made  within  a 
half  mile  of  the  shaft,  on  the  southward  and  eastward,  have  failed  to  find  it  or 
its  equivalent,  while  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  it  does  not  extend  far  north 
of  the  river.  The  underlying  shaly  sandstone  has  been  met  with  in  small 
patches  as  far  north  as  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  21,  township  34  north, 
range  9  east,  but  unaccompanied  by  any  indications  of  coal.  Along  the  Des- 


WILL   COUNTY.  211 

Plaines,  below  this  point,  the  sandstone  lies  partly  upon  the  bottom  beds  of  the 
Niagara  limestone,  partly  upon  the  green  shales  at  the  top  of  the  Cincinnati 
group.  It  here  contains  some  remains  of  trees,  one  of  which,  forty  or  fifty 
feet  long,  has  been  mentioned  by  Schoonmaker  as  a  tree  of  "  black  walnut," 
vhich  in  color  it  very  much  resembles. 

Above  the  feeder  dam  pn  the  Kankakee,  coal  is  said  to  have  been  found  in 
/he  bed  of  the  river  opposite  the  mouth  of  Prairie  creek;  but,  at  Mr.  Mellai's 
place  on  the  opposite  bank,  the  bluff  is  composed  of  dark  colored  shales,  partly 
sandy,  partly  calcareous,  belonging  to  the  Cincinnati  group,  between  which 
and  the  Niagara  limestone  quarried  on  the  other  bank,  there  is  certainly  no 
place  for  any  regular  deposit  of  coal. 

As  I  have  been  unable  to  connect  the  foregoing  section  with  any  outcrop 
whose  position"  is  known,  and  in  the  absence  of  characteristic  fossils,  I  cannot  de- 
termine with  certainty,  its  relation  to  the  other  Coal  Measure  rocks  of  this 
county;  but  it  probably  belongs  below  them,  and  its  equivalent  should  be 
found  by  boring  below  the  level  of  the  main  seam  at  points  further  south. 
However,  as  the  seam  is  so  variable  within  the  small  space  over  which  we  have 
recognized  it,  there  would  be  no  certainty,  in  fact,  very  little  probability,  of  its 
yielding  any  paying  quantity  of  coal  at  any  given  locality.  I  cannot,  there- 
fore, encourage  the  hopes  which  some  persons  entertain,  of  finding  another 
seam  of  coal,  by  boring  in  the  bottom  of  the  present  workings,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  I  would  not  deny  the  possibility  of  finding  such. 

On  the  other  hand,  as  I  believe  that  no  borings  have  been  made  on  the  west 
side  of  this  mine,  between  it  and  the  strippings  southeast  of  Goose  lake,  the 
coal  at  which  latter  point  unquestionably  belongs  to  the  main  seam,  although 
its  characters  are  very  unusual,  I  cannot  assert  that  this  is  not  also  a  continu- 
ation of  the  same  seam,  which  owes  its  irregularities  to  its  position  upon  the 
extreme  border  of  the  basin. 

The  southwest  corner  of  this  county  is  full  of  shafts,  varying  from  twenty 
to  seventy  feet  in  depth,  by  which  the  main  seam  of  coal  is  reached,  and  from 
which,  hundreds  of  thousands  of  tons  of  coal  are  annually  sent  to  market. 

This  seam  varies  from  two  feet  ten  inches  to  four  feet  in  thickness,  and  pos- 
sesses various  characters,  according  to  location.  Some  portions  yield  a  very 
pure  coal,  fit  for  blacksmith  ing,  while  others  yield  a  very  impure  article,  con- 
taining much  pyrite  and  flakes  of  calcite.  Some  parts  contain  these  impurities 
disseminated  in  small  particles  through  the  whole  mass ;  and  in  others  we  find 
them  concentrated  in  certain  benches  of  the  seam,  or  even  compacted  into  one 
or  more  thin  bands  which  can  readily  be  removed  in  mining.  As  a  whole,  this 
seam  yields  a  good  coal  for  steam  purposes. 


212  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

Lying  so  near  the  border  of  the  basin,  this  seam,  as  well  as  the  one  previously 
treated  of,  has  suffered,  more  or  less,  from  local  displacement,  besides  having 
been  deposited  upon  a  surface  originally  irregular.  This  has  been  the  princi- 
pal cause  of  its  irregular^  thickness,  and,  to  some  extent,  that  of  its  variable 
character.  Where  the  bed  lies  upon  a  sloping  floor,  a  large  part  of  the  impuri- 
ties, especially  the  sulphid  of  iron  (pyrite),  seems  to  have  settled  away  by 
gravity  and  to  have  accumulated  in  the  lower  portions,  leaving  the  upper  part 
comparatively  pure. 

This  irregularity  of  bottom  prevents  any  regularity  in  the  depth  of  shafts, 
and  so  prevents  any  accurate  estimate  of  the  dip,  the  general  direction  of  which 
is  toward  the  southwest.  It  also  prevents  any  certainty  as  to  the  exact  line  of 
outcrop ;  since,  from  it,  we  may  reasonably  predicate  the  probable  existence 
of  outlying  patches,  separated  from  the  main  bed  by  portions  of  barren 
strata.  Such  will  probably  be  found,  when  more  borings  shall  be  made  beyond 
what  is  now  accounted  the  boundary  of  the  coal  area.  These  patches,  however, 
are  likely  to  be  small,  and  would  not  warrant  any  great  outlay  in  searching  for 
them,  especially  while  so  large  a  portion  of  territory  known  to  be  underlaid  by 
coal  remains  undeveloped. 

So  far  as  is  yet  indicated  by  borings,  the  outcrop  of  this  is  essentially  as  fol- 
lows :  Entering  the  county  near  the  northwest  corner  of  section  30,  town  33 
north,  range  9  east,  it  passes  diagonally  to  the  center  of  the  south  line  of  this 
section ;  thence  to  the  middle  of  the  east  line  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 31,  and  eastward  to  the  same  point  in  section  33;  thence  diagonally  to  the 
center  of  the  north  line  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  3,  township  32 ; 
thence  southwest  to  the  center  of  the  west  line  of  the  same  section,  and  to  cen- 
ter of  south  line  of  section  4;  thence  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  9,  and 
in  nearly  the  same  course  to  the  center  of  section  20 ;  thence  due  south  into 
Kankakee  county.  The  last  three  or  four  miles  of  this  line  are  determined 
with  less  accuracy  than  the  upper  portion,  since  fewer  borings  have  been  made 
in  that  part  of  the  county. 

To  the  eastward  of  this  line  of  outcrop,  borers  have  often  been  encouraged 
by  finding  beds  of  soft  clay  shale — "  soapstone" — corresponding  in  general  char- 
acter with  that  which  overlies  the  coal ;  but,  so  far  as  T  can  learn,  none  of  those 
lower  beds  contain  any  of  the  nodules  of  carbonate  of  iron,  often  containing 
vegetable  or  animal  remains,  which  characterize  ten  or  fifteen  feet  of  the  shale 
immediately  on  top  of  the  coal,  and,  in  many  cases  at  least,  they  probably  be- 
long to  the  underlying  Cincinnati  group,  the  Niagara  limestone  being  absent 
from  this  part  of  the  county. 

The  overlying  shales  are  of  very  variable  thickness,  and  are  often  accompa- 
nied by  bands,  and  occasionally  by  thick  beds  of  sandstone.  I  am  indebted  to 


WILL    COUNTY.  213 

Mr.  Andrew  Binney,  of  Braidwood,  for  the  following  section  of  the  Eagle  shaft, 
on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  8,  township  32  north,  range  9  east : 

FEET.    IN. 

Soil  and  Drift 22       6 

Sandstone, — water-bearing 24 

Clay  shale, — "soapstone" 27       6 

Coal 2  ft  10  in.  to    3     10 

Fire  clay 7  to  8 

Coarse,  porous,  water-bearing  sandstone 12 

Fire  clay 3 

Coarse  sandstone 6 

Greenish  fire  clay 15 

The  section  below  the  coal  was  obtained  while  boring  in  search  of  another 
seam.  I  have  suspected  that  the  "greenish  fire  clay,"  at  the  foot  of  the  section, 
may  be  the  green  shaly  clay  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  but  have,  at  present,  no 
means  of  deciding  the  matter. 

From  other  deep  borings  in  this  district,  I  have  been  unable  to  get  any  accu- 
rate measurements.  I  understand,  however,  that  at  Keeversville,  on  the  west 
half  of  section  5,  in  the  same  township,  several  openings  have  found  a  portion 
of  the  main  seam,  varying  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  in  thickness,  separated 
from  its  lower  side  by  from  eight  to  twelve  feet  of  fire  clay,  and  itself  still  over- 
laid by  fire  clay.  At  Cadysville,  in  the  east  half  of  section  5,  Mr.  Wm.  Henne- 
bury  has  bored,  and  reports  the  seams  split  into  two  or  three  portions,  each  of 
workable  thickness.  A  company  of  miners  was  preparing  to  sink  a  shaft  at 
this  spot,  in  the  fall  of  1868.  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  what  success  they 
had. 

The  soft,  shaly  sandstones  along  the  Kankakee,  above  Wilmington,  which 
have  been  supposed  to  belong  to  the  Coal  Measures,  are  really  part  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati group,  and  will  be  noticed  under  that  head. 

Niagara  Limestone. — The  Sub-carboniferous  and  Devonian  rocks  being  en- 
tirely wanting  in  this  part  of  the  State,  we  find  the  Niagara  group  appearing 
next  in  order.  The  limestones  of  this  group  underlie  fully  four-fifths  of  the 
area  of  the  county,  but  the  outcrops  are  somewhat  limited,  in  consequence  of 
the  great  extent  of  the  Alluvial  and  Drift  deposits.  It  is  difficult  to  form  any 
very  accurate  estimate  of  the  beds  exposed,  because  the  outcrops  are  so  discon- 
nected ;  but  it  probably  does  not  much  exceed  two  hundred  feet. 

I  choose  to  consider  as  the  uppermost  beds,  those  thin-bedded  but  compact 
layers  which  are  slightly  exposed  near  the  center  of  the  south  half  and  on  the 
west  line  of  section  13,  and  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  15,  township  35 
north,  range  11  east.  The  outcrop  at  these  points  is  inconspicuous,  and  has  never 
been  developed.  It  could  probably  be  made  to  yield  a  sufficient  supply  for  all 
local  uses. 


214     ,  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Probably  near  the  same  level,  possibly  a  little  higher,  belong  the  loose,  vescu- 
lar  layers  in  the  bed-rock  of  the  creek,  at  the  north-west  corner  of  section  8, 
town  34  north,  range  11  east.  The  rock  is  not  such  as  to  invite  quarrymen, 
but  a  local  supply,  for  fences,  wells  and  underpinning,  can  be  drawn  from  near 
the  west  line  of  section  19,  of  this  township,  and  the  southeast  corner  of  section 
13,  in  the  adjoining  township  ;  and  more  extensive  quarrying  in  the  low  ground 
would,  undoubtedly,  develop  beds  of  fair  building  stone.  At  present,  this  is 
hauled  either  from  the  Jackson  quarries,  near  the  center  of  section  15,  town- 
ship 34  north,  range  10  east,  or  from  those  at  Joliet. 

The  beds  which  form  the  bluffs  on  both  sides  of  the  DesPlaines,  at  and  near 
Lockport,  belong  at  and  below  this  level.  Opposite  Lockport,  the  bluff  shows,  at 
intervals,  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet  of  these  beds,  which  are  mostly  thin,  and  more 
or  less  vesicular,  containing  imperfect  impressions  of  fossils.  The  upper  part 
of  these  beds  is  passed  over  in  going  east  from  Lockport,  and  the  fragments  loose 
in  the  soil  indicate  that  they  lie  not  far  below  the  surface ;  but  the  only  outcrop 
seen  is  in  the  bed  of  a  small  stream  near  the  southwest  corner  of  section  2,  town- 
ship 36  north,  range  11  east.  At  several  points,  these  beds  are  used  for  lime, 
and  yield  a  very  fair  article.  The  lower  part  of  these  beds  contain  several  lay- 
ers of  chert  nodules,  often  accompanied  by  a  chalky  substance.  (Messrs.  A. 
Hyatt  and  E.  Bicknell,  of  the  Peabody  Academy  of  Science,  Salem,  Mass.,  have, 
at  my  request,  examined  portions  of  these  cherts,  microscopically,  but  have  not, 
as  yet,  succeeded  in  finding  any  organisms  except  sponge-spicula.)  These  flinty 
layers  form  a  ready  means  of  determining  a  general  equivalence  of  level,  though 
they  extend  through  a  considerable  thickness  of  rock,  which  varies  in  amount 
at  different  localities.  I  consider  them  sufficient,  however,  to  synchronize  with 
these  beds  those  that  are  quarried  extensively  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 2  and  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  11,  township  36  north,  range  9  east. 
Here  I  include,  also,  the  beds  quarried  to  some  extent  in  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  26,  and  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  35,  township  37  north,  range 
9  east. 

The  top  of  the  quarry,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  11  of  the  Jast 
named  township,  belongs  at  the  bottom  of  the  foregoing  Jjeds,  while  the  lower 
part  of  it  reaches  the  solid  blue  quarry  rock  which  lies  next  below.  Some 
thin  beds  of  this  rock  have  been  quarried  to  a  small  extent,  in  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  31,  township  36  north,  range  10  east.  Its  lower  portion 
underlies  the  DesPlaines  valley,  from  the  county  line  to  below  Lockport,  and 
furnishes  the  quarries  so  extensively  worked  between  Lockport  and  Joliet. 
The  Jackson  quarries,  before  mentioned,  are  at  nearly  the  same  level.  These 
beds  are  also  extensively  quarried  in  "Twelve-mile  Grrove,"  near  the  center  of 
section  10,  township  33  north,  range  11  east,  and  the  lower  part  of  the  bed  is 
seen  in  the  bottom  of  Forked  creek,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  section  21  of 


WILL    COUNTY,  215 

the  same  township.  The  rock  of  this  division  is  a  hard,  fine  grained,  compact 
limestone,  with  comparatively  few  fossils ;  though  some  of  the  beds  furnish 
fine  large  specimens  of  Orthoceras,  Cyrtoceras,  etc.  In  these  beds,  also,  we 
frequently  find  layers  filled  with  the  wood-like  markings  known  as  lignilites  or 
stylolites.  Through  the  whole  of  this  division,  we  find  more  or  less  partings 
of  greenish  clay,  which  upon  long  exposure,  ultimately  develop  seams,  even  in 
those  beds  which,  when  freshly  quarried,  appear  the  most  solid.  The  amount 
of  this  material  increases  rapidly  as  we  approach  the  base  of  this  group  in  its 
southern  extension,  indicating  that  the  conditions  which  produced  a  deposit 
of  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  of  it  in  the  Cincinnati  epoch,  continued,  though  with 
less  intensity,  long  after  the  introduction  of  the  fauna  which  characterized  the 
Niagara  period. 

The  bottom  division  of  this  group  contains  beds  of  very  various  characters. 
Near  Grinton's  mill,  the  beds  are  partly  cellular,  partly  quite  compact,  partly 
nearly  a  pure  drab  limestone,  partly  a  soft  buff,  impure  limestone,  in  character 
approaching  the  underlying  beds  of  the  Cincinnati  group. 

At  and  below  Joliet,  they  are  nearer  the  upper  beds  in  material,  and  fur- 
nish some  fair  building  stone,  but  they  are  still  quite  cellular,  and  contain  more 
of  the  greenish  clay  partings.  They  retain  this  character,  the  thin  layers 
becoming  more  compact  in  structure,  but  separating  more  readily,  as  we  pass  to 
the  southward  of  Chanuahon,  and  across  to  the  Kankakee.  Here,  they  retain 
their  later  character  until  we  pass  Wilmington ;  but,  near  the  southeast  corner 
of  the  county,  they  again  become  more  porous  and  impure.  This  change  of 
character  is  noticeable  in  connection  with  the  fact  that,  at  and  near  Grin- 
ton,  these  beds  rest  upon  the  shaly  magnesian  limestones  of  the  Cincinnati 
group,  which  thin  out  toward  the  southwest,  and  finally  disappear  entirely, 
leaving  the  Niagara  beds,  from  above  Wilmington  to  opposite  Channahon, 
resting  directly  upon  the  underlying  green  shales. 

At  the  mouth  of  Prairie  creek,  three  miles  below  Wilmington,  one  of  the 
lowest  beds  of  this  group  has  furnished  large  slabs  covered  with  fine  speci- 
mens of  Pentamerus  oblongus,  which  is,  in  New  York,  characteristic  of  the 
Clinton  group,  but  I  am  unable  to  distinguish  any  corresponding  division  of 
the  rocks  in  this  region.  The  Orthis  bilobus  occurs  in  the  corresponding  beds 
near  Channahon,  and  Stromatopora,  and  other  Niagara  corals  are  not  rare  in 
the  bottom  layers  of  the  quarries  east  of  Wilmington. 

As  a  summary  of  the  rocks  of  this  group,  I  offer  the  following  general 
section : 

FEET. 

Thin  bedded,  coarse,  rather  vesicular  beds 75 

Irregularly  bedded  limestone,  with  bands  of  chert 40 

Blue  quarry  stone,  weathering  buff,  heavy  bedded 60 

Thin  bedded,  compact  to  porous,  parting  readily 40 


216  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

The  outline  of  this  group  is  nearly  as  follows:  Entering  the  county  near 
the  northwest  corner  of  township  35  north,  range  9  east,  it  runs  nearly  south- 
east to  near  the  south  east  corner  of  section  24,  and  includes  the  larger  part  of 
section  30  township  35  north,  range  10  east ;  here,  it  crosses  the  DesPlaines, 
and  follows  down  its  south  bank,  on  the  top  of  the  bluff,  as  far  as  to  the  center 
of  section  29,  township  34  north,  range  9  east ;  here,  it  passes  under  the  shaly 
sandstone  of  the  Coal  Measures  for  a  short  distance,  and  then  accompanies 
their  outcrop  up  the  "  Cut-off"  to  the  Kankakee,  which  it  follows,  with  only  a 
small  show  upon  the  south  bank,  to  the  mouth  of  Prairie  creek;  here  it  bears 
more  to  the  eastward,  and  passes  around  to  the  north  and  east  of  Wilming- 
ton, turning  south  through  section  31,  township  33  north,  range  10  east,  and 
following  the  north  bank  of  Forked  creek  to  the  middle  of  section  17,  town- 
ship 32  north,  range  10  east;  here  it  crosses,  and  strikes  the  bank  of  the 
Kankakee  in  section  20,  and  follows  it  westward  through  the  county.  Forked 
creek  and  its  cut-off  also  inclose  an  island  of  this  group,  which  occupies  con- 
siderable portions  of  sections  7  and  18,  township  32  north,  range  lOeast.  This 
group  also  appears  upon  the  south  bank  of  the  river  for  about  a  mile  below  the 
county  line. 

The  general  dip  of  the  beds  is  toward  the  northeast,  but  there  are  every- 
where so  great  local  variations,  both  in  direction  and  amount,  that  any  attempt 
to  indicate  them  by  figures  would  be  fruitless.  This  has  probably  resulted,  at 
least  in  part,  from  the  softness  of  the  underlying  beds. 

Cincinnati  Group. — The  rocks  of  this  group,  in  Will  county,  consist  of  buff 
shaly  argillaceous  and  magnesian  limestones,  with  pyrite  and  some  chert,  a 
heavy  bed  of  green  shaly  clay,  and  blue  shaly  limestones  with  some  petroleum. 

The  bottom  beds  at  Grinton's  mill  probably  belong  to  this  group,  but,  at 
this  locality,  the  lower  beds  of  the  Niagara  approach  so  closely  in  character  to 
the  upper  beds  of  this  group,  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  mark  the  division  with 
certainty.  One  mile  down  the  DuPage,  however,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  16,  township  35  north,  range  9  east,  there  is  an  outcrop  of  undoubted 
Cincinnati  group.  The  beds  here  are  light  buff,  porous,  magnesian  limestones, 
with  bands  of  chert  nodules.  A  small  Loxonema  in  the  chert  was  the  only 
fossil  observed.  The  section  exposed  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  thick. 
Near  the  center  of  the  north  half  of  section  5,  township  34  north,  range  9 
east,  from  eight  to  ten  feet  of  thin-bedded  buff  limestone  with  sandy  partings, 
probably  corresponding  with  the  lower  part  of  the  above  section,  have  been 
quarried  to  a  small  extent  in  a  hill  side.  A  half  mile  east  of  this,  in  the  south 
half  of  section  33.  township  35  north,  range  9  east,  from  eight  to  ten  feet  of 
thin-bedded  argillaceous  limestone,  with  many  of  the  common  fossils  of  this 
group,  form  the  low  bank  of  the  DuPage.  These  beds  underlie  those  before 


WILL   COUNTY.  217 

mentioned,  and  are  probably  equivalent  to  the  middle  of  the  Rock  run 
section.' 

At  the  mouth  of  Rock  run,  near  the  east  line  of  section  35,  township  35 
north,  range  9  east,  considerable  stone  has  been  quarried  for  local  use.  It  is 
a  thin-bedded,  very  argillaceous  limestone,  originally  blue,  but  weathering  first 
rusty  and  then  light-drab,  with  bands  of  chert  near  the  top  of  the  quarry,  and 
more  or  less  pyrite  scattered  through  the  whole  mass.  Fossils  are  abundant, 
but  rather  fragmentary,  including  Orthocerata,  various  brachiopods,  a  few 
trilobites,  and  some  fucoidal  markings.  The  thickness  exposed  is  nearly  forty 
feet. 

Near  the  bridge  over  the  DesPlaines,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  21, 
township  34  north,  range  9  east,  we  find  these  beds  of  limestone  thinned  out 
to  about  ten  feet,  between  the  Niagara  limestone  and  the  underlying  green 
shale.  They  here  contain  an  abundance  of  Petraia  and  Orthis,  with  an  occa- 
sional Cafymene,  and  one  or  two  other  forms.  No  equivalent  of  these  beds 
has  been  recognized  upon  the  Kankakee,  though  it  may  possibly  be  repre- 
sented among  thelmff  limestones  of  this  group,  near  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  county. 

The  bed  of  green  shaly  clay  which  forms  the  middle  division  of  this  group 
in  this  county,  is  a  perfectly  homogeneous,  fine-grained  clay,  with  no  fossils, 
and  no  impurities  of  any  kind  so  far  as  observed.  Along  the  DesPlaines, 
through  the  east  half  of  township  34  north,  range  9  east,  this  bed  is  known 
to  be  from  forty-five  to  fifty  feet  in  thickness,  and  it  is  not  less  than 
that  on  the  Kankakee,  where  it  is  first  observed  just  above  the  mouth  of 
Prairie  creek,  on  the  north  bank,  and  thence  accompanies  the  outcrop  of  the 
overlying  Niagara  rocks  up  the  river  to  near  the  county  line,  where  it  dips 
below  the  water  level.  Above  Wilmington,  it  becomes  more  impure,  and 
somewhat  thinner. 

Below  this  bed,  along  the  Kankakee,  especially  near  and  on  the  banks  of 
Horse  creek,  there  is  a  considerable  outcrop  of  about  fifty  feet  of  drab  and 
greenish  shaly  sandstones,  rather  irregularly  bedded,  and  showing  fucoidal 
markings.  The  same  beds,  of  a  locally  different  character,  are  exposed  for  a 
short  distance  along  the  south  bank  of  the  Kankakee,  opposite  the  mouth  of 
Prairie  creek.  From  near  the  top  of  this  bed,  a  boring  has  been  made  at  Mr. 
Johnson's  place,  on  section  13,  township  32  north,  range  10  east,  of  which  the 
following  is  the  reported  section  : 

FEET.      IN. 

1.  Shaly  sandstone 50 

2.  Soft  clay  shale,  ("  soapstone  ") 30 

3.  Flinty  sandstone 5        6 

4.  Blue  "  soapstone " 24        6 

5.  Hard  drab  clay  shale 6 

—28 


218  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  "  soapstone  "  No.  2  of  the  section,  outcrops  along  the  river  bank,  about 
two  miles  above  Wilmington,  and,  from  its  close  resemblance  to  the  blue  shale 
above  the  main  coal  seam,  has  misled  many  persons  into  the  belief  that  the 
coal  could  be  found  farther  east.  It  was  only  after  repeated  examinations  that 
I  became  satisfied  of  its  true  position. 

The  "  flinty  sandstone,"  No.  3,  is  probably  the  representative  of  the  com- 
pact fragmentary  clinking  limestone  which  shows  a  much  greater  thickness  at 
its  outcrop  near  Wilmington.  This  lower  division  of  the  group  there  consists 
of  light  blue  shaly  limestones,  with  occasional  bands  of  these  compact  layers, 
fitted  for  underpinnings,  but  rarely  furnishing  material  suitable  for  superstruc- 
tures. Its  outcrop  is  very  limited,  being  confined  to  the  bottoms  of  the 
Kankakee,  between  the  mouth  of  Forked  creek  and  the  ford  near  the  north 
line  of  section  12,  township  32  north,  range  9  east,  and  the  banks  of  Forked 
creek  below  the  "  county  road"  running  east  from  Wilmington.  Over  all  this 
outcrop,  the  beds  are  crowded  with  the  ordinary  fossils  of  the  group,  such  as 
Rhynchonclla  capax,  R.  Tiemiplicata,  Ortliis  lynx,  0.  subquadrata ,  Leptsena 
sericea,  Strophomena  altcrnata,  Orthocerata,  Tentaculites,  corals,  bryozoa  and 
crinoidal  fragments,  with  occasionally  fine  fragments  of  trilobites. 

A  boring  upon  the  island,  at  Wilmington,  gave  the  following  section : 

FEET. 

Blue  shaly  limestone 15 

Hard,  gritty  rock,  in  thin  layers 15 

Dark  clay  shale,  with  pockets  of  petroleum 70 

Petroleum  is  also  found  filling  cavities  in  the  overlying  beds  of  more  com- 
pact limestone,  which  outcrop  farther  up  the  river,  and  add  probably  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  feet  to  the  foregoing  section.  These  beds  also  frequently  contain 
cavities  lined  with  very  pretty  crystals  of  the  "  doa;  tooth  spar"  variety  of 
calcite.  The  limestone  itself  is  composed  of  comminuted  shells  and  crinoids, 
and  yields  few  fossils  in  good  condition. 

Mr.  Jason  Franklin  reports  the  following  as  the  section  found  in  his  "  oil- 
well,"  in  the  south  half  of  section  23,  township  32  north,  range  10  east: 

FEET. 

Sandstone 15 

Clay  shale,  with  harder  bands 115 

Yellow  and  white  sandstone 5 

Blue  sandstone 100 

Blue  sandstone,  with  pyrite 38 

As  no  beds  of  sandstone  are  found  elsewhere  to  correspond  with  the  lower 
beds  of  this  section,  and  as  the  upper  fifteen  feet  are  evidently  the  rotten  beds 
of  magnesian  limestone  which  form  the  base  of  the  Niagara  group  in  this 
region,  I  am  disposed  to  believe  that  the  lower  beds  are  also  limestone.  If  this 
is  true,  the  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  of  "clay  shale,  with  harder  bands" 


WILL   COUNTY,  219 

will  correspond  with  the  two  upper  divisions  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  as 
above  given;  the  one  hundred  and  five  feet  of  "  sandstones, "the  lower  division 
of  this  group,  and  the  thirty-eight  feet  of  pyritous  rock  may  represent  the 
compact  drab  limestone,  sometimes  pyritous,  of  the  Trenton  group,  the  top 
layers  of  which  are  quarried  in  Saratoga,  four  miles  northeast  of  Morris,  in 
Grundy  county.  The  whole  section,  however,  is  liable  to  error,  having  been 
made  by  an  inexperienced  borer.  I  give  it  as  the  only  indication,  however 
imperfect,  of  the  underlying  beds  in  this  part  of  the  county,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Mr.  Johnson's  boring,  before  given,  which  did  not  reach  so  great  a 
depth. 

SUMMARY. 

The  following  is  an  approximate  estimate  of  the  total  thickness  of  rock  ex- 
posed and  explored  within  the  county : 

FEET. 

Alluvial  and  Drift  clays  and  gravels 100  to  150 

Coal  Measure  sandstones  and  shales 100  "  125 

Niagara  group  limestones 200 

Cincinnati  group  limestones,  shales  and  clays 220  "  260 

Trenton  group  limestones  ? * 38  ? 


Economical    Geology. 

Among  the  mineral  resources  of  Will  county,  the  first  place  is  naturally 
given  to 

Coal. — Though  the  outcrop  of  the  Coal  Measures  covers  but  a  very  small 
part  of  the  area  of  this  county,  yet  the  amount  of  coal  mined  therefrom  is  very 
large. 

NOTE. — During  the  summer  of  1869,  an  artesian  well  was  sunk  at  the  Penitentiary,  near 
Joliet,  and  the  following  section  of  the  bore  has  been  furnished  me,  through  A.  J.-Matthewson, 

Esq.,  of  Lockport: 

FEET. 

1.  Rubbish 12 

2.  Cherty  limestone 16 

3.  Soft  white  granular  limestone 60 

4.  Coarse  rock,  resembling  Niagara  limestone 279 

5.  Soft  shales  and  clay 110 

6.  Clear  sharp  sand-rock,  full  of  water 50 

Total 527 

It  is  impossible  to  make  this  agree  with  known  outcrops,  or  with  the  facts  ascertained  by 
borings  in  adjacent  counties.  Nowhere  in  this  region,  if  anywhere,  is  there  such  a  bed  as 
No.  6  lying  upon  the  St.  Peters  sandstone  of  No.  6.  If  Nos.  4  and  5  could  be  made  to  ex- 
change places,  we  might  suppose  the  279  feet  of  limestone  to  represent  the  lower  part  of  the 
Cincinnati  group  and  the  whole  of  the  Trenton.  There  is  probably  error  in  the  reqord. 


220  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Analyses  of  a  few  coals  from  this  county  were  made  some  years  since,  and 
were  published  in  the  first  volume  of  these  Reports  :  since,  fuller  examinations 
of  the  territory  have  shown  the  great  variations  in  the  character  of  the  coal 
within  short  distances,  a  phenomenon  which  usually  accompanies  outcrops  so 
near  the  edge  of  the  basin,  it  has  not  been  thought  best  to  make  any  further 
examinations  of  this  sort.  Throwing  out  the  more  noticeable  impurities,  such 
as  the  nodules  and  layers  of  pyrite  or  "  sulphur/'  and  the  occasional  bands  of 
slaty  clay,  the  mass  of  the  coal  makes  a  very  good  article  for  steam  purposes, 
and  some  portions  furnish  a  good  blacksmithing  coal ;  but  no  considerable 
quantity  is  found  that  appears  suitable  for  smelting  purposes. 

Assuming  the  coal  area  in  this  county  to  be  about  twenty  square  miles,  and 
allowing  to  the  seam  an  average  thickness  of  three  feet  three  inches,  the  usual 
rule  of  estimate  would  give  66,000,000  tons  as  the  amount  accessible  within 
the  county. 

Building  Stone. — The  quarries  of  Joliet  and  Lockport  make  no  insignificant 
figure  in  an  estimate  of  the  resources  of  Will  county.  The  amount  of  stone 
accessible  here  is  almost  unlimited.  Only  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  of  beds 
furnishing  "  dimension  stone  "  are  now  quarried,  as  the  bottom  of  this  brings 
the  quarrymen  down  to  the  water  level,  and  the  supply  has  thus  far  been  so 
abundant  as  to  make  deeper  exploration  unnecessary.  Above  the  layers  which 
are  quarried,  there  are  several  feet  of  beds,  now  decayed,  which  were  originally 
of  very  nearly  the  same  consistency  as  the  lower  ones ;  and  when  they  shall  be 
worked  back  into  the  hill  beyond  the  extent  of  atmospheric  influences,  will 
probably  be  found  equally  valuable.  The  stone  itself  is  a  very  compact,  fine 
grained,  clinking,  magnesian  limestone,  but  thin  seams  of  greenish  clay  run 
irregularly  through  the  whole  mass,  which,  upon  long  exposure  in  situations 
alternately  wet  and  dry,  must  ultimately  cause  the  most  solid  layers  to  split  up, 
especially  when  they  are  set  up  on  edge.  The  separation  in  the  quarry  into 
"ledges"  of  ten,  twenty-four,  thirty,  and  forty  inches  in  thickness,  simply  re- 
sults from  the  presence  of  somewhat  thicker  partings  of  this  same  greenish 
shaly  clay.  It  is  not  probable  that  this  structure  will  sensibly  affect  the  stone 
used  in  building  in  ordinary  situations,  except  after  the  lapse  of  many  years  ; 
but  care  should  be  taken  to  reject  such  portions  of  the  layers  as  come  from  very 
near  the  outcrop. 

These  beds  were  formerly  described  as  composed  of  light  buff  stone,  while 
the  deeper  portions  of  the  quarries  now  furnish  "  blue  stone."  The  difference 
results  from  the  difference  in  amount  of  oxidation  of  the  small  portion  of  iron 
disseminated  through  the  whole  mass,  the  change  having  resulted  from  atmos- 
pheric influence.  The  same  change  must  ultimately  take  place  in  all  the  "  blue 
stone"  which  is  brought  to  the  surface. 

The  same  beds  are  now  quarried  at  Twelve-Mile  Grove,  in  the  town  of  Wai- 


WILL   COUNTY.  221 

lingford,  and  some  fine  stone  is  obtained.  Distance  from  railroad  communi- 
cation alone  prevents  the  development  of  quarries  of  equal  value  with  those  of 
Joliet. 

The  Jackson  quarries  are  also  in  nearly  equivalent  beds. 

The  beds  of  this  portion  of  the  Niagara  group,  where  exposed  near  the  sur- 
face for  some  time,  yield  flagstones  of  considerable  size  ;  but  those  of  the  lower 
portion  of  the  group  are  more  extensively  quarried  for  this  purpose,  and  have, 
apparently,  a  rather  larger  proportion  of  the  shaly  partings.  This  character 
alone  prevents  some  portions  of  these  lower  beds  from  equaling  the  higher 
ones  for  building  purposes. 

From  the  whole  extent  of  the  outcrops  of  this  group,  small  quantities  of  stone 
are  quarrved  for  fences  and  wells,  and  occasionally  for  buildings ;  but  no  other 
quarries  than  those  above  mentioned  have  assumed  any  considerable  importance 
as  sources  of  regular  supply.  The  quarry  in  the  southeast  corner  of  section  11, 
township  37  north,  range  9  east,  seems  to  have  reached  the  solid  beds  below  the 
cherty  layers,  and  is  likely  to  prove  valuable  ;  but,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  it 
had  not  been  fully  tested. 

The  upper  division  of  the  Cincinnati  group  has  been  quarried  to  a  small  ex- 
tent for  local  uses,  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  run,  between  Joliet  and  Channahon  ; 
but  the  beds  are  so  shaly  as  to  be  readily  broken  up  by  the  weather,  and  can 
never  furnish  a  reliable  building  stone.  The  limestone  of  the  lower  member 
of  the  Cincinnati  group,  occasionally  quarried  in  the  bed  of  the  Kankakee,  be- 
tween one  and  two  miles  above  Wilmington,  gives  small  quantities  of  a  perma- 
nent but  rather  rough  and  irregular  stone.  It  would  probably  be  worth  more 
for  limej  if  care  were  taken  to  exclude  the  shaly  portions  of  the  beds. 

Lime  is  burned  at  numerous  points  in  this  county,  the  principal  production 
being  from  the  lower  portion  of  the  Niagara  group.  An  impure  article  is  also 
furnished  from  the  shaly  limestones  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  at  the  mouth  of 
Forked  creek,  in  Wilmington.  Small  quantities  of  hydraulic  cement  have 
been  burned  from  a  bluish  bed  near  the  base  of  the  Niagara  group  in  the  south 
part  of  Joliet. 

Brick. — With  such  an  abundance  of  building  stone,  comparatively  few  brick 
are  used  in  the  county.  The  production  is  principally  from  the  brown  clay  sub- 
soil, which  is  found  distributed  throughout  the  timbered  portion  of  the  county, 
and,  to  some  extent,  under  the  prairie  soil.  A  few  brick  are  also  made  from 
the  alluvial  clay  of  Mt.  Joliet.  The  fire  clays  which  underlie  the  main  coal 
seam,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  county,  are  made  to  yield  a  good  article 
of  brick,  at  Gardner,  in  the  adjoining  part  of  Grundy ;  but  no  use  has  been 
made  of  them  in  Will  county. 

Pottery. — At  Mt.  Joliet,  large  quantities  of  drain-tile  are  manufactured  from 
the  alluvial  clay  of  the  neighborhood.  The  green,  shaly  clay,  which  forms  the 


222  GEOLOGY   OF    ILLINOIS. 

middle  division  of  the  Cincinnati  group,  in  the  south  part  of  the  county,  ap- 
pears well  fitted  for  potter's  use,  but  I  can  not  learn  that  any  attempts  have  been 
made  to  utilize  it.  The  results  of  experiments  made  by  the  "  Mound  Compa- 
ny," with  the  various  beds  of  the  neighborhood,  are  well  summarized  in  the 
following  letter  from  a  son  of  one  of  the  proprietors,  for  which  I  am  indebted 
to  our  mutual  friend,  Mr.  H.  M.  Bannister,  of  the  Survey  : 

PORTLAND,  Oct.  6th,  1868. 
H.  M.  BANNISTER,  Assist  Geologist  of  Illinois. 

DEAR  SIR:  As  regards  the  Joliet  Mound,  situated  one  and  a-half  miles  southwest  of  the  city 
of  Joliet :  It  is  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  in  length,  and  two  to  three  hundred  feet  in  width. 
At  its  northeast  extremity  is  solid  limestone  rock,  overlaid  with  a  thin  stratum  of  blue  clay, 
above  which  is  about  twenty  feet  of  fine  gravel,  containing  a  large  per  centage  of  cement,  and 
many  boulders  of  various  sizes  and  species.  The  rock  dips  toward  the  southwest,  and  when  it 
reaches  the  gravel  pit,  at  or  near  its  extreme  end,  the  gravel  bed  is  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  thick- 
ness in  the  center,  while  beneath  it  is  a  bed  of  fine,  blue,  earthern  clay,  six  feet  in  thickness, 
and  remarkably  free  from  stones  and  other  impurities,  though  strongly  impregnated  with  salts 
and  lime,  and  so  solid  as  to  require  a  sharp  pick  to  excavate  it.  The  top  of  the  bed  is  strati- 
fied and  colored  with  oxide  of  iron,  producing  a  fine  slip  or  glaze  for  pottery  ware.  The  lower 
portion  of  the  bed  is  solid,  and  rather  an  impure  clay.  The  bed  dips  with  the  rock,  and  in- 
creases in  thickness  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  gravel. 

Many  Indian  remains  have  been  exhumed  while  excavating  the  gravel,  and  an  old  flint-lock 
pistol  was  found  ten  feet  in  the  gravel,  while  excavating  the  clay.  I  have  seen  toads  jump  out 
of  the  solid  bank  and  hop  off. 

Under  this  bed  of  clay  are  boulders,  gravel  and  clay,  and  under  that  a  stronger  brown  clay, 
beneath  which  are  strong  evidences  of  the  same  formation  as  that  above  it,  and  then  rock. 

One-half  mile  further  to  the  southwest,  is  Mount  Flat-head,  one  mile  in  length,  one-quarter 
in  width,  and  about  sixty  feet  in  hight,  composed  of  boulders  and  gravel,  with  very  little  ce- 
ment and  no  clay  under  it.  The  rock  in  this  mound  dips  in  directly  the  opposite  direction  from 
that  in  Mount  Joliet, 

The  clay  used  in  the  manufacture  of  tile  is  from  a  ridge  one-quarter  of  a  mile  northwest  of 
the  mound,  and  forming  one  of  the  boundaries  of  the  DesPlaines  valley.  It  is  a  red,  earthern 
clay,  formed  in  cubes,  strongly  impregnated  with  iron,  and  a  little  lime  and  some  fine  gravel 
mixed  with  it.  (I  found  the  same  bed  at  White  Lake,  Michigan.)  The  bed  is  ten  or  fifteen 
feet  thick,  and  is  a  good,  strong,  earthern  clay,  and  can  be  used  as  a  high-fired  slip  clay,  or  a 
lower  fire  if  a  flux  be  mixed  with  it.  Its  formation  is  very  irregular,  as  is  all  that  region. 
Under  it  are  fine,  yellow  and  blue  loams,  and  under  them  gravel  and  boulders  and  then  the  rock. 
Not  one  hundred  feet  from  this  bed  is  one  of  brown  clay,  of  great  depth  and  filled  with  lime 
pebbles.  The  internal  arrangement  of  the  whole  ridge  is  similar  to  rolling  prairie,  and  of 
every  species  of  drift.  Two  miles  below  the  mound,  in  a  railroad  cut,  you  will  find  a  bed  of 
hard,  stratified  or  shaly  clay,  brown,  red  and  green,  with  which  we  experimented  largely,  but 
it  was  so  full  of  lime  and  lime-dogs  as  to  be  of  very  little  value,  although  it  stands  a  heavy 
fire  to  a  certain  point,  and  then  suddenly  gives  way,  and  in  burning  checks  badly  by  fire  and 
air. 

All  down  the  DesPlaines  valley,  on  either  side,  are  extensive  beds  of  the  same  material.  At 
Channahon,  on  Mr.  Althower's  place,  in  his  low  land,  is  a  bed  of  fine,  greasy,  blue  clay,  which 
is  very  good  for  a  glazing  clay,  and  not  far  from  it  is  a  bed  of  white  marl.  On  the  Rock  Island 
railroad,  near  Mokena,  is  a  bed  of  green  clay,  and  you  will  find  pockets  of  it  in  the  rock  at 
Lockport. 

I  know  very  little  of  the  Goose  lake  clay,  save  that  they  have  had  great  trouble  with  it.    At 


WILL   COUNTY.  223 

the  coal  mines  at  Morris,  is  a  species  of  fire  clay,  but  we  did  not  think  much  of  what  we  tested. 
On  the  line  of  the  Alton  and  St.  Louis  railroad,  between  Willow  Springs  and  Athens,  you  will 
find  white  fire  sand.  There  are  no  valuable  clays  within  sixty  miles  of  Chicago,  and  not  extra 

brick  clays.     Yours  truly,  and  in  haste. 

GEO.  D.  GOODRICH. 

Peat  has  been  found  in  small  patches,  in  some  of  the  swampy  land  near  the 
east  line  of  the  county,  but  no  beds  of  any  importance  have  yet  been  reported. 

Copper. — Nuggets  of  native  copper  have  been  found  in  the  Drift  of  this 
county,  and  have  'caused  occasional  excitements  over  the  prospect  of  finding  a 
copper  mine.  One  was  picked  up  at  Lineburger's  quarry,  near  Wilmington, 
where  it  had  fallen  upon  and  partially  sunk  into  the  decomposed  green,  shaly 
clay  of  the  bottom  of  the  quarry,  and  "boring  for  copper"  was  seriously  talked 
of,  but  better  counsels  prevailed. 

Iron  Ore  nodules  accompany  the  shales  overlying  the  coal,  but  no  considera- 
ble quantities  are  accessible.  A  small  bed  of  bog  iron  ore  was  noticed,  near 
the  saw  mill,  near  the  center  of  the  west  line  of  section  13,  town  35  north,  range 
11  east,  but  no  exploration  has  been  made  to  ascertain  its  depth  or  exact  extent. 
Considerable  beds  are  known  to  exist  in  the  adjoining  parts  of  Indiana,  and  all 
extensive  deposits  will  ultimately  become  valuable  for  use,  in  connection  with 
the  more  compact  and  richer  ores  of  Marquette  and  Missouri. 

Water. — Through  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  a  constant  supply  of  water 
is  not  readily  accessible,  in  consequence  of  the  thickness  of  the  deposits  of  sand 
and  gravel  which  overlie  the  boulder  clay  and  form  the  high,  rolling  surface 
characteristic  of  this  region.  A  few  springs  reach  the  surface  in  the  timber, 
and  some  of  the  prairie  ponds  retain  their  water  through  the  year ;  but,  in  a  dry 
season,  there  is  often  much  suffering  among  cattle.  So  far  as  I  could  learn,  no 
wells  have  been  driven  through  the  boulder  clay  ;  below  it,  an  unfailing  supply 
could  be  reached,  though,  in  some  places,  the  depth  would  forbid  attempts  to 
raise  it.  The  three  river  valleys  are  mostly  well  watered  by  springs  flowing 
from  the  outcropping  edges  of  the  rock  strata.  All  over  the  DesPlaines  bot- 
toms, wells  are  readily  obtained  at  a  small  depth  in  the  rock,  the  water  of  the 
river  finding  ready  passage  through  the  numerous  crevices  and  worn  passages 
which  are  so  characteristic  of  limestones  exposed,  in  any  degree,  to  water  action. 
The  triangle  between  the  DesPlaines  and  the  Kankakee,  below  the  bluffs  of 
the  second  terrace,  which  run  from  opposite  Channahon  directly  toward  Wil- 
mington, has  comparatively  little  soil  upon  the  rock,  and  much  of  it  is  entirely 
destitute  of  surface  water.  By  penetrating,  however,  the  heavy  beds  of  green, 
shaly  clay,  which  underlies  it,  and  is  here  from  forty-five  to  fifty  feet  thick, 
an  abundant  and  never-failing  supply  can  be  obtained,  from  the  surface  of  the 
underlying  shaly  limestone. 

The  high  ridge  of  boulder  clay  and  gravel  along  the  western  line  of  the  coun- 


224  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

ty,  above  the  DesPlaines,  has  few  wells  that  do  not  fail  in  a  dry  season.  On 
the  eastern  slope  of  that  ridge,  in  section  30  of  Plainfield  township,  as  I  am  in- 
formed by  Rev.  Dr.  Clark,  of  that  town,  Deacon  Caton  bored  sixty-one  feet 
through  the  boulder  clay,  and  got  water  just  after  striking  the  solid  rock.  I 
do  not  know  the  level  of  the  surface  at  that  point,  but  judge,  from  what  I  know 
of  the  levels  elsewhere  in  that  region,  that  this  well  must  have  reached  as  low 
as  the  lake  level,  and  perhaps  lower. 

In  the  Eagle  shaft,  at  Braidwood  station,  the  coarse  sandstones,  which  accom- 
pany the  Coal  Measure  shales,  yield  a  very  large  amount  of  pure  water,  a  four- 
inch  stream  flowing  constantly  from  the  pumps. 

Through  the  artesian  well  at  Joliet  penitentiary,  water  flows  freely  from  the 
St.  Peters  sandstonej  which  was  struck  at  the  depth  of  four  hundred  and  seven- 
ty-seven feet.  The  following  data  will  be  the  means  of  calculating,  approxi- 
mately, the  depth  of  this  bed  in  most  parts  of  the  county,  assuming  that  the 
dip  of  the  sandstone  is  regular  : 


Morris  —  section  4, 
Joliet—       "      3, 
Chicago  —  "       9, 

town.  22  north,  rang 
"       35     "           " 
"       38     "           " 

Feet  above  or 
below  datum. 

Depth  to 
sandstone. 

—56 
—24 
plus  21 

370 
477 
834 

10  "     

14  "     

Morris  to  Joliet,  east  30Q  north,  21  miles. 
"       "  Chicago,  "    35Q       "     51     " 

Levels  of  points  in  Will  county,  above  or  below  "  Datum  of  six  feet  below 
the  lowest  registered  water  of  Lake  Michigan,"  as  furnished  by  the  Illinois 
River  Survey,  in  charge  of  G-en.  J.  H.  Wilson,  U.  S.  A.: 

FEET. 

DesPlaines  river  (low  water)  at  county  line  above  Lockport plus  12.150 

"  "       "         "       "  Lemont  (Cook  co.) "    13.795 

"  "       "         "       "Lockport —13.540 

"  "       "         "       below  railroad  bridge  at  Joliet — 58.657 

"  "       "         "       mouth  of  Rock  run —71.640 

"  "       "         "      under  Kankakee  feeder  aqueduct — 85.268 

"  "       "         "       at  junction  with  Kankakee — 87.809 

Bluffs  at  Lockport,  east  side,  plus  74.09;  west  side,  plus  66.27 
"      "  Lemont,       "       "        "  102.00;     "       "       "     137.20 

Kankakee  river  (low  water),  east  line  Grundy  co — 83.110 

"        "        "        "        head  of  feeder,  below  State  dam —69.588 

«        "        "         "  "     "       "       above     "       "    — 69.580 

"        "        "        "        Prairie  creek — 58.498 

"         "         "         "         under  road  bridge  at  Wilmington — 51.501 

«        "         "        "        above  rapids  "        <(  —39.112 

"        "         "         "        east  line  of  Will  co..  ..—27.698 


WILL   COUNTY,      .  225 

FEET. 

*  North  of  Momence — Kankakee  and  Will  co.  line plus  128.578 

"  "  "  summit,  or  dividing  ridge "  173.206 

"  «  "  Eagle  lake "  147.532 

"  "  "  waters  of  Plum  creek "  125.280 

"  "  "  village  of  Crete "  154.460 

"  "  "  waters  of  Thorn  creek "  125.830 

"  "  "  village  of  Bloom  (Cook  co.)— Cut-off  railroad "  108.550 

Illinois  Central  railroad — Village  of  Monee "  228.000 

"  "  "  Cook  and  Will  co.  line "  180.000 

"  "  "  line  townships  34  and  33 "  200.000 

"  "  •  "  "  Kankakee  and  Will  co's  "  103.000 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific  railroad — Village  of  Mokeiia "  142.000 

"  "  "  "  "  "  DuPage  river _30.000 

"  "  "  "  "  "  village  of  Minooka  (Grundy  co.) plus  35.000 

In  the  survey  of  this  county,  I  am  especially  indebted  to  the  kind  assistance 
of  A.  J.  Mathewson,  Esq.,  of  Lockport. 

*0n  a  rather  irregular  line,  varying  from  one  to  two  miles,  east  of  west  line  of  township, 
range  14. 


—29 


CHAPTER    XV. 

KANKAKEE  AND   IROQUOIS    COUNTIES. 

Kankakee  county  is  bounded,  on  the  north,  by  Will ;  on  the  west,  by  Grundy 
and  Livingston ;  on  the  south,  by  Ford  and  Iroquois ;  and  on  the  east,  by 
Lake  and  Newton  counties,  of  Indiana.  It  forms  nearly  a  rectangle  of  twenty 
miles  from  north  to  south,  by  about  thirty-eight  from  east  to  west ;  but  two 
townships  of  the  northwest  corner  of  this  rectangle  have  been  assigned  to  Will 
county,  thus  reducing  the  area  of  Kankakee  to  about  674  square  miles. 

This  area  is  divided  into  three  unequal  portions  by  the  Kankakee  and  Iro- 
quois  rivers,  the  former  of  which  enters  the  county  near  the  middle  of  its  east- 
ern side,  runs  westerly,  and  thence  southwesterly  to  the  mouth  of  the  Iroquois 
near  the  center  of  the  southern  third  of  the  county,  and  thence  northwest  to 
the  southwest  corner  of  Rockville  township,  whence  it  passes  into  Grundy 
county.  From  near  the  center  of  the  south  line  of  the  county,  the  Iroquois 
flows  in  an  irregular  northerly  course  to  its  junction  with  the  Kankakee,  just 
below  Aroma.  The  Kankakee  is  fordable  at  numerous  points  below  Momence ; 
but  above  the  dam  at  that  place,  it  is  deep,  and  nearly  level  for  some  miles 
beyond  the  State  line,  having  a  fall  of  from  four  to  six  inches  to  the  mile. 
From  Momence  to  Rockville,  its  fall  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  feet,  or 
above  five  feet  to  the  mile.  Throughout  this  latter  part  of  its  course,  it  has  a 
rock  bottom,  affording  good  foundations  for  dams,  whether  for  utilizing  the 
water  power,  or  for  purposes  of  navigation.  With  this  latter  point  in  view, 
the  United  States  Government  has  caused  surveys  to  be  made,  which  have 
shown  that,  by  the  construction  of  a  few  dams  and  locks,  this  stream  can,  at 
comparatively  small  expense,  be  made  navigable  from  St.  Joseph's  county,  In- 
diana, to  its  junction  with  the  Illinois.  The  Iroquois  is  rocky  and  shallow 
through  all  of  its  course  within  the  limits  of  this  county,  but,  from  the  county 
line,  it  is  deep  and  still,  and  is  navigable  for  flat-boats,  nearly  or  quite  to  the 
Indiana  line. 

Along  the  latter  part  of  the  course  of  the  Kankakee,  its  bottoms  are  narrow, 
and  rocky  bluff-banks  are  quite  frequent,  but,  above  Aroma,  the  bottoms  are 
much  wider,  and  any  rocky  banks  are  of  very  little  hight.  Over  these  bot- 


KANKAKEE   AND   IROQUOIS   COUNTIES.  227 

toms  are  large  deposits  of  sand ;  and  sand  ridges  from  fifteen  to  thirty  feet  high, 
form,  in  many  places,  the  boundaries  of  the  bottoms,  that  is,  the  banks  of  the 
ancient  river  valley.  Similar  banks  were  traced  up  the  valley  of  the  Iroquois, 
as  far  as  Middleport,  in  Iroquois  county,  and  are  said  to  form  its  banks  for 
some  miles  above  the  Indiana  line.  These  banks  were  not  carefully  examined, 
for  want  of  time,  but  I  learn  that  they  contain,  in  many  places,  numerous 
shells  of  Unio,  Paludina,  and  other  forms,  identical  with  those  now  living  in  the 
rivers. 

I  was  formerly  inclined  to  believe  that  the  Kankakee  valley  was  at  one  time 
occupied  by  an  outlet  of  Lake  Michigan,  which  ran  from  its  southern  extremity 
by  the  valley  of  either  Deep  river  or  Salt  creek;  but,  since  I  find  that  the 
sand  ridges  are  continuous  with  those  which  are  so  largely  developed  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  Kankakee  valley,  and  especially  since  Dr.  E.  Andrews,  the 
learned  President  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Science,  assures  me,  from  per- 
sonal observation,  that  no  connection  ever  existed  by  Deep  river  or  Salt  creek 
valley,  I  am  compelled  to  believe  that  this  was  a  distinct  lake  basin,  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  miles  wide  in  its  upper  part,  and  of  as  yet  undetermined  length 
The  sand  ridges,  which  mark  its  outlines,  have  been  traced,  almost  continu- 
ously, from  the  mouth  of  Waupecan  creek,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Illinois, 
nearly  opposite  Morris,  in  Grundy  county,  to  the  mouth  of  Yellow  river,  in 
Starke  county,  Indiana.  I  learn  from  Mr.  A.  J.  Matthewson,  of  Lockport, 
who  has  explored  much  of  the  Kankakee  valley,  that  they  continue  over  the 
divide,  and  connect  with  the  sand  ridges  of  the  Wabash  valley.  This,  how- 
ever, unless  the  connecting  portions  are  proved  to  have  been  deposited  by  water 
in  their  present  position,  would  not  prove  the  connection  of  the  waters  of  the 
two  basins,  since  the  wind  often  raises,  upon  lake  shores,  accumulations  of  sand 
to  a  considerable  hight  above  the  water  level,  as  at  Michigan  City,  where  an 
elevation  of  this  sort  has  attained  a  hight  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet 
above  the  lake ;  and  these  connecting  portions  may  have  had  that  origin. 

Along  the  Louisville,  New  Albany  and  Chicago  railroad,  the  highest  sand 
beds  on  the  south  side  of  the  valley  were  found  at  forty-five  miles  from  Michi- 
gan City,  at  an  elevation  of  twenty-five  feet  above  the  Kankakee,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  four  feet  above  Lake  Michigan.  On  the  north  side  of  the  valley, 
the  highest  beds  were  found  at  Hog  creek,  twenty-one  miles  from  Lake  Michi- 
gan, at  about  the  same  level.  Above  this  level,  at  both  points,  the  gravel  beds 
of  the  Drift  come  to  the  surface,  covered  only  by  the  soil.  Through  the  east- 
ern part  of  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  and  the  central  part  of  Benton  county, 
Indiana,  there  is  said  to  be  a  stream  of  boulders,  two  miles  wide,  having  a  gen- 
eral northwest  and  southeast  direction.  Although  these  must  have  been 
dropped  from  floating  ice,  at  a  time  when  all  this  country  was  under  water,  so 


228  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

that  we  cannot  argue  directly  from  their  position  with  regard  to  the  form  of 
the  land  at  a  later  period,  yet  we  may  fairly  infer  that  whatever  channel  then 
existed  probably  had  the  aforesaid  direction ;  and,  since  no  such  depression 
appears  to  exist,  or  to  have  existed  toward  the  southwest,  it  probably  did  exist 
to  the  eastward,  and  it  is  not  impossible  that  old  Lake  Kankakee  had  its  out- 
*et  by  the  Wabash,  before  its  waters  began  to  cut  down  the  rocky  barrier 
through  which  they  have  since  excavated  the  deep  valley  from  Aroma  to  Wil- 
mington. 

Though  the  sand  ridges  have  not  been  traced  to  their  limit  on  the  upper 
Iroquois,  yet,  as  the  bed  of  the  river  at  Renssalaer,  only  sixteen  miles  from 
the  southernmost  sand  bed  on  the  L.,  N.  A.  &  C.  R.  R.,  is  said  to  be  only 
thirteen  feet  higher  than  the  top  of  that  bank,  it  is  evident  that  the  old  lake 
must  have  nearly  surrounded  the  high  land  of  the  southeastern  part  of  Kan. 
kakee  county,  and  the  northwestern  part  of  Iroquois.  The  elevation  of  this 
peninsula  is  known  to  me  at  only  one  point,*  namely,  at  Morocco,  Newton 
county,  Indiana,  which  Owen  states  to  be  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above 
the  bed  of  the  Kankakee  at  Momence. 

The  peninsula  between  old  Lake  Kankakee  and  Lake  Michigan  varies  from 
ten  to  twenty-five  miles  in  width,  and  is  seventy  or  eighty  miles  long.  The 
lowest  measured  point  is  near  Eagle  lake,  in  Will  county,  Illinois,  where  CoL 
Worrall's  surveying  party  found  an  elevation  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-three 
feet  above  the  established  "  datum  "  of  "  six  feet  below  the  lowest  registered 
water  of  Lake  Michigan."  Monee,  a  few  miles  west  of  this  point,  is  two 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet  above  "  datum,"  by  railroad  survey.  It  is 
probable  that  a  much  lower  point  exists  upon  the  "divide,"  somewhere  near 
Deep  river  or  Salt  creek,  in  Lake  county,  Indiana.  A  large  sand  ridge  forms 
the  north  shore  of  Eagle  lake,  at  an  elevation  of  one  hundred  and  forty-eight 
feet  above  "  datum ; "  but  this  is  probably  local,  and  not  directly  connected 
with  the  ridges  of  the  river  valley. 

Much  of  all  these  sand  accumulations  is  nearly  pure  quartz  grain,  partly 
worn  and  rounded,  as  if  by  long  wear  and  travel;  while  parts  are  evidently 
merely  the  disintegrated  sandstones  of  the  Coal  Measures,  not  much  changed 
by  friction. 

For  further  details  of  elevations  and  distances,  I  must  refer  to  the  map 
accompanying  this  report,  for  which  the  survey  is  originally  and  principally 
indebted  to  the  liberality  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Mathewson,  chief  engineer  of  the  Illi- 
nois and  Michigan  canal ;  though  many  levels  have  also  been  added  from  data 
kindly  furnished  by  Gen.  J.  H.  Wilson,  chief  of  the  Illinois  River  Survey,  and 

*The  Chicago  and  Danville  Railroad  crosses  this  promontory,  a  short  distance  west  of  the 
State  line ;  but  applications  for  the  profile  of  that  road  have  been  unsuccessful. 


KANKAKEE   AND  IROQUOIS   COUNTIES.  229 

I 

Dr.  E.  Andrews,  of  Chicago,  as  well  as  from  the  publications  of  Profs.  Richard 
Owen*  and  R.  T.  Brownf,  and  from  reports  of  railroad  surveys. 

1  have  been  unable  to  obtain  any  satisfactory  information  regarding  the 
character  and  levels  of  the  country  between  South  Bend  and  Lake  Erie.  It 
seems  highly  probable  that  when  that  lake  stood  at  the  level  indicated  by  the 
highest  terrace  upon  its  ancient  shores,  not  far  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
above  its  present  level  (say  eight  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  above  the  ocean),  it 
should  have  had  an  outlet  toward  the  west ;  and  this  must  have  been  either 
the  Kankakee  or  the  Wabash. 

The  sloughs  which  lie  between  the  sand  ridges  of  the  old  valley  are  filled 
with  soft  black  muck,  which  is  just  the  material  needed  to  make  these  sandy 
portions  exceedingly  productive  j  when  drained  of  the  surplus  water,  they  are 
themselves  unsurpassed  as  corn-land.  In  their  present  condition,  they  would 
appear  to  be  just  the  places  for  the  culture  of  cranberries  for  the  Chicago 
market. 

Upon  the  bottom  of  Beaver  lake,  just  east  of  the  State  line,  since  it  has 
been  partially  drained,  skeletons  of  Mastodon  and  Bootherium  have  been  found 
by  Dr.  H.  M.  Keyzer,  of  Momence,  and  others ;  and  it  is  not  improbable  that 
remains  of  these  animals  will  also  be  found  within  the  limits  of  Kankakee 
county. 

Drift  Formation. — The  drier  portions  of  the  county,  out  of  the  river  valleys, 
are  mostly  high,  rolling  prairie,  with  a  few  small  groves,  which  shows  but  a 
slight  covering  of  soil  and  thin  clay  subsoil  above  the  gravel  beds  of  the  Drift. 
At  a  moderate  depth  we  find  everywhere,  with  few  exceptions,  the  tough,  blue 
"  boulder-clay,"  which  usually  has,  in  this  region,  a  thickness  of  over  one  hun- 
dred feet. 

Whether  there  was  or  not  an  outlet  from  the  south  end  of  Lake  Michigan, 
after  the  close  of  the  Drift  period,  there  certainly  was  one  at  that  point  before 
the  Drift  was  deposited.  This  valley,  including  that  of  Lake  Michigan,  may 
have  been  excavated  by  a  glacier;  but  of  this  we  cannot  be  certain,  without  a 
more  extended  examination  of  its  bottom  than  will  probably  ever  be  possible. 
The  depth  of  this  channel,  in  its  northern  part,  is  unknown  ;  its  western  bank 
is  seen  on  the  Kankakee,  just  above  Momence,  where  the  rock  suddenly  breaks 
off,  and  probes  forced  to  considerable  depths  found  no  solid  bottom.  These 
facts  were  ascertained  in  1867,  by  Col.  James  Worrall,  then  of  the  Illinois 
River  Survey,  now  of  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  who  also  informs  me  that  the  same 
"  shoulder  "  of  rock  is  found  upon  the  Calumet,  nearly  due  north  from  Mo- 
mence. In  this  part  of  its  course,  passing  through  very  solid  rocks,  the  chan- 

*Geology  of  Indiana,  1859-60,  pp.  201-220. 

•{•Proceedings  of  the  Wabash  Academy  of  Science,  Indianapolis,  1855,  p.  16. 


230  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

nel  is  rather  narrow,  rock  having  been  found  upon  its  east  side  and  south  of 
the  Kankakee,  within  seven  miles  of  Momence;  the  exact  location  of  its 
eastern  bank  is  as  yet  unknown.  From  this  point,  the  course  of  the  channel  is 
not  certain ;  but  it  probably  keeps  near  the  State  line  until  it  nearly  or  quite 
reaches  the  valley  of  the  Iroquois,  then  runs  westerly  to  the  valley  of  Spring 
creek,  having  a  depth  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  near  Sheldon  (as  reported 
by  H.  S.  Wing,  Esq.,  of  Kankakee  City),  and  then  turns  south  with  a  depth 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet  between  Onarga  and  Gilman,  of  "  over 
four  hundred  feet"  between  Onarga  and  Spring  Creek  Station,  and  of  "  over 
three  hundred  feet"  between  Paxton  and  Rantoul,  as  reported  by  John  Faulds, 
Esq.,  of  Catlin,  Vermilion  county.  As  the  western  bank  was  found  at  Chats- 
worth,  Livingston  county,  with  its  top  eighty-eight  feet,  and  its  bottom  two 
hundred  feet  below  the  surface,  thus  giving  a  width  of  fifteen  miles  or  more,  it 
is  evident  that  the  softer  materials  of  the  Devonian,  Sub-carboniferous,  and 
Coal  Measure  shales  and  sandstones  have  afforded  less  resistance  to  the  denud- 
ing agent  than  the  solid  Silurian  limestones,  which  confined  it  to  less  than 
seven  miles  at  Momence.  Champaign  and  Onarga,  in  Champaign  county,  are 
located  over  this  old  channel,  and  from  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  to  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  above  its  floor  ;  but  are  probably  near  its  eastern 
border.  Here  and  at  Chatsworth  we  find,  among  the  Drift  beds,  a  single  layer 
of  old  mucky  soil,  with  leaves  and  trunks  of  trees.  At  Bloomington,  in  Mc- 
Lean county,  the  channel  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep,  and  the  beds 
which  fill  it  include  two  beds  of  old  soil,  which  I  am  inclined  to  accept  as 
indications  that  this  point  is  near  the  middle  of  the  old  valley,  or  at  least  near 
it  principal  channel.  The  route  west  of  Bloomington  is  unknown. 

As  the  bluffs  which  bound  the  DuPage  valley,  upon  the  west,  are  composed 
entirely  of  Drift  gravel  and  clay,  with  a  rock  foundation  nearly  on  a  level  with 
the  rock  at  the  head  of  the  Illinois,  or  about  ninety  feet  below  the  present  level 
of  the  lake,  while  there  is  an  elevated  rock  island  reaching  from  there  to  Mo- 
mence, it  is  not  impossible  that,  in  that  region,  also,  there  was  at  this  same 
period  some  outlet  for  the  contents  of  the  basin  of  Lake  Michigan ;  but  no 
deep,  strongly-marked  channel  is  there  indicated. 

Rock     Formations. 

Though  great  quantities  of  fragments  of  black  shale,  with  not  infrequent 
rounded  lumps  of  coal,  are  found  in  the  Alluvial  and  Drift  deposits,  and  con- 
tinually excite  the  imaginations  of  persons  ignorant  of  geology,  no  beds  of 
either  coal  or  black  shale  exist  within  the  county,  except  on  its  extreme  west- 
ern border.  These  fragments  are  either  the  remnants  of  beds  which  formerly 
existed  here,  or,  more  probably,  are  remains  of  the  beds  which  formerly  con- 


KANKAKEE   AND   IROQUOIS   COUNTIES.  231 

nected  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  Illinois  coal  field  with  that  of  Central 
Michigan,  and  have  drifted  hither  from  the  east  and  north.  Much  of  the 
black  shale,  however,  probably  came  from  the  outcrop  of  the  Devonian  (or 
Sub-carboniferous  ?)  bed  of  that  material  which  outcrops  so  widely  through 
Northern  Indiana. 

Coal  Measures. — As  already  indicated,  the  Coal  Measures  are  confined  to 
the  extreme  western  portion  of  the  county.  Their  eastern  boundary  enters 
the  county  from  the  north  near  the  center  of  section  5,  township  31  north, 
range  9  east,  runs  due  south  nearly  three  miles,  then  bears  a  little  westward, 
and  near  the  center  of  the  west  line  of  township  30  north,  passes  into  Livings- 
ton county.  Explorations  have  not  yet  been  made  to  such  an  extent  as  to  in- 
dicate more  exactly  the  southern  part  of  this  line ;  but  its  general  correctness 
has  been  proved,  since  its  location,  by  finding  that  its  continuation  southward 
passes  directly  across  the  known  edge  of  the  field,  at  Chatsworth,  in  Livings- 
ton county.  Along  the  northern  part  of  the  line,  numerous  borings  have  been 
made,  and  a  few  shafts  sunk.  The  only  ones  now  furnishing  coal  are,  Hook's, 
and  Gamble's  shafts,  in  section  8,  and  Conklin's  shaft,  in  section  19,  of  town- 
ship 31  north,  range  9  east.  Hook's  shaft  is  sixty-thr.ee  feet  deep  to  the  coal, 
with  the  following  section : 

FEET.'  IN. 

1.  Soil  and  sandy  loam 4 

2.  Brownish  clay,  with  cobble-stones 4 

3.  Blue  boulder  clay 30 

4.  Bluish  clay  shales 25 

5.  Coal 2         10 

6.  Fireclay 2 

7.  Sandstone. 6 

At  Gamble's  shaft,  which  is  a  little  shallower,  Nos.  2  and  3  of  the  foregoing 
section  are  wanting ;  and  the  shales  of  No.  4  continue  up  to  the  sandy  subsoil. 
All  of  these  mines  find  the  coal  of  pretty  uniform  thickness,  and  furnish  a  good 
clean  coal,  well  fitted  for  domestic  use  and  for  steam  fuel.  Their  product  is 
all  delivered  to  wagons,  for  the  local  supply  of  the  country  to  the  east  and 
southeast  of  the  mines ;  and  the  extent  of  the  coal  field  in  this  county  is  so 
small  as  to  render  it  doubtful  whether  a  railroad  will  ever  be  so  built  as  to  give 
them  outlet  to  a  larger  market. 

The  seam  is  the  continuation  of  that  so  largely  mined  about  Morris,  in 
Grundy  county,  and  in  the  lower  corner  of  Will  county,  namely,  "  No.  2,"  of 
the  Illinois  valley  section.  As  in  the  adjoining  part  of  the  field,  the  limit  of 
the  seam  is  quite  irregular,  the  numerous  borings  having  shown  that,  at  some 
points,  currents  have  washed  away  the  coal,  so  as  leave  deep  depressions  in  its 
outline ;  and  at  others,  projecting  and  even  isolated  patches  of  the  seam  are 
found  outside  of  the  general  boundary.  In  the  latter  case,  the  seam  is  some- 


.232  GEOLOGY  OP   ILLINOIS. 

times  found  of  full  thickness,  but  without  a  roof,  while  in  others,  only  a  streak 
of  coaly  matter  is  left. 

The  extent  of  the  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures,  below  this  seam,  is  unknown. 
They  here  rest  directly  upon  the  greenish,  sandy  shales  of  the  Cincinnati 
group,  which,  to  the  uneducated  eye,  are  not  readily  distinguishable  from  the 
bluish  drab,  sometimes  sandy,  shales  of  the  Coal  Measures. 

Niagara  Limestone. — No  Sub-carboniferous  or  Devonian  beds  are  known  to 
exist  in  Kankakee  county.  It  is,  of  course,  possible,  that  such  may  remain 
in  place,  under  the  high  country  of  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  county,  but 
their  existence  is  in  no  way  indicated,  and  is  altogether  improbable. 

The  highest  Silurian  beds  exposed  are  impure  earthy  limestones  which  out- 
crop along  the  Iroquois,  from  Sugar  Island,  at  the  county  line,  nearly  to  its 
junction  with  the  Kankakee.  The  outcrop  covers  so  much  space  that  it  would 
be  difficult  to  make  any  exact  measurement  of  the  thickness  of  these  irregu- 
larly bedded  strata.  I  estimated  them  at  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet.  They  have 
mostly  a  moderate  dip  to  the  southward.  Some  of  the  layers  have  been  quar- 
ried, in  the  small  way,  for  local  use ;  and  many  of  them  appear  well  fitted  for 
making  hydraulic  lime. 

These  beds  apparently  correspond  in  position  with  the  Leclaire  limestones, 
forming  the  top  of  the  Niagara  group ;  there  is  no  marked  separation  from  the 
lower  beds.  A  few  indistinct  plant  markings  were  the  only  fossils  found. 

Apparently  belonging  between  these  beds  and  those  which  outcrop  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Iroquois,  though  on  that  stream  no  equivalent  strata  were  seen, 
are  the  layers  which  are  quarried  at  Momence.  Here,  we  find  from  fifteen  to 
eighteen  feet  of  light  gray  and  drab,  impure,  argillaceous  limestone,  the  upper 
half  of  which  contains  great  numbers  of  concretions  of  chert  and  silicified 
corals ;  but  the  lower  half  makes  a  fine  building  and  monumental  stone,  and  is 
largely  quarried  in  the  bed  of  the  river.  There  are  also  exposed,  just  above 
town,  a  few  feet  of  light  buff,  very  vesicular,  magnesian  limestone,  full  of  casts 
of  fossils,  which  is  burned  for  lime.  This  apparently  belongs  beneath  the 
quarry-stone.  Among  the  fossils  of  this  bed  were  observed  Pentamerus, 
Knightii,  Bumastes,  Platyostoma,  Favosites,  Cystiphyllum,  and  fragments  of 
undetermined  crinoids. 

Along  the  river,  between  Momence  and  Aroma,  a  small  amount  of  thin- 
bedded  limestone  crops  oufr,  but  presents  no  opportunity  for  measurement. 
Both  at  Aroma,  and  for  a  short  distance  up  the  Iroquois,  we  find  from  ten  to 
twenty  feet  of  thin,  roughly-bedded,  pretty  compact,  light  drab  and  buff  lime- 
stone, occasionally  cherty,  and  full  of  the  striated  marks  of  pressure  and  slip- 
ping, which  are  called  stylolites.  These  are  locally  used  for  building,  though 
not  at  all  a  handsome  material.  !No  fossils  were  obtained  here,  though  they 
probably  occur. 


KANKAKEE   AND   IROQUOIS   COUNTIES.  233 

In  descending  the  river,  the  next  outcrop  seen  is  at  Kankakee  City,  where, 
beneath  the  bridge,  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  of  thin-bedded,  light  buff,  vesicular 
limestones  ara  exposed,  which  are  sometimes  quarried  for  the  linings  of  wells,  for 
foundations,  or  for  road-material.  At  the  foot  of  Court  street,  large  flags  are 
quarried,  with  small  quantities  of  thicker  stone,  from  an  outcrop  of  thin-bedded? 
compact  to  vesicular,  bluish-gray  limestones,  with  partings  of  greenish  clay. 
The  surfaces  of  these  layers  often  show  crinoidal  fragments,  and  occasionally 
present  small  crystals  or  fragments  of  pyrite.  The  same  beds  continue  up 
Soldier  creek,  and  are  largely  quarried,  above  the  Wilmington  road,  where  the 
greater  amount  of  covering  has  prevented  the  disintegration  of  the  clay-layers, 
so  that  the  beds  appear  to  be  more  solid.  At  this,  point,  a  slight  southerly  dip 
is  apparent.  The  broad  floor  of  the  quarry  is  strongly  marked  by  a  double 
system  of  joints,  the  best  developed  of  which  bears  by  compass  due  northwest 
and  southeast ;  the  other  set  is  not  regular.  The  same  beds  present  a  nearly 
continuous  outcrop  down  the  river,  through  section  24,  township  31  north, 
range  11  east,  and  are  underlaid,  in  section  23,  by  a  few  feet  of  cellular  lime- 
stone, containing  casts  of  crinoids  and  other  fossils,  which  is  locally  used  for 
fences.  In  section  16,  we  pass  down  to  very  compact,  though  rather  thin- 
bedded  limestone,  every  way  fitted  for  building  purposes,  for  which  it  is 
occasionally  used.  These  beds  apparently  correspond  with  those  quarried  at 
Joliet,  in  Will  county.  The  same  beds  are  known  to  exist,  at  slight  depths 
below  the  surface,  over  much  of  the  southern  part  of  this  township,  and  have 
been  opened  for  local  use  at  two  or  three  points.  They  are  also  worked  in  a 
small  quarry  on  the  west  side  of  section  7,  township  30  north,  range  11  east 
(the  fractional  township),  where  from  eight  to  ten  feet  of  valuable  stone  have 
been  opened  in  the  prairie.  A  fine  specimen  of  Spirifer  crispus  was  the  only 
fossil  seen  here. 

Apparently  near  this  level,  though  possibly  a  little  above  it,  at  Manteno,  a 
small  quarry  has  been  opened  in  an  outcrop  of  thinly  and  irregularly  bedded 
limestone,  which  is  said  to  be  easily  broken  up  by  the  frost.  It  contains  many 
cavities  lined  with  calcite,  and  a  few  Orthocerata  are  occasionally  met  with. 

In  descending  the  river,  below  the  quarries,  in  section  16,  we  find  the  beds 
becoming  thinner  and  more  vesicular,  and  finally  passing  gradually  into  more 
impure  and  strongly  ferruginous  layers,  and  decomposing  readily.  It  is  this 
feature  which  has  made  the  valley  broader  and  the  slopes  of  the  banks  more 
gentle  in  this  locality. 

Cincinnati  Group. — Just  at  the  county-line,  we  pass  below  the  Niagara 
group,  and  find  about  ten  feet  of  the  sandy  calcareous  shales  of  the  Cincinnati 
group  exposed  above  low-water  mark.  This  is  the  only  outcrop  of  rocks  of  this 
group  within  the  county,  but  the  two  ranges  of  townships,  west  of  this  point, 
are  almost  entirely  underlaid  by  them  at  slight  depths.  The  prairie  surface 
—30 


234  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

gives  no  opportunity  of  determining  the  exact  outlines  of  the  group ;  but  it  is 
evident  that  the  Coal  Measures  occupy  but  a  narrow  strip  of  the  western  side 
of  range  9,  and  the  Niagara  limestone  a  probably  still  narrower  one  on  the 
east  side  of  range  10. 

A  boring  in  Otto  township,  five  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Kankakee  City, 
and  eighty  rods  west  of  the  railroad,  started  above  the  top  of  the  highest  beds 
seen  on  the  Iroquois ;  and  the  following  section  of  it  was  reported  to  me  by 
Mr.  H.  A.  Williamson,  of  Kankakee  City,  who  superintended  the  boring, 
after  it  had  reached  the  depth  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-seven  feet  : 

FEET. 

1.  Gravel  and  clay 47 

2.  Clouded  solid  stone — "  not  limestone  " 388 

3.  Shale,  with  limestone  bands  and  flints 75 

4.  Impure  limestone,  slacked  but  little 40 

6.  Nearly  black,  slightly  gritty  shales 15 

6.  Shale,  with  limestone  bands  and  "  flints  " 83 

7.  Pyrite '  1£ 

8.  White  shaly  limestone 1£ 

Total 651 

The  three  hundred  and  eighty-eight  feet  of  "clouded  solid  stone,"  undoubt- 
edly includes  all  the  limestones,  pure  and  impure,  of  the  Niagara  group.  The 
impression  that  it  was  "  not  limestone,"  arose  from  the  fact  that  certain  speci- 
mens, when  burned,  did  not  slack.  No.  3,  with  its  "  flints,"  may  possibly  be- 
long to  the  Niagara;  but  I  am  more  inclined  to  account  it  the  top  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati group,  and  to  suppose  that  the  "flints"  of  both  it  and  No.  6,  are  merely 
thin  layers  of  compact  clinking  limestone,  sometimes  pyritous,  such  as  .are  fre- 
quently called  flints  by  borers  and  quarrymen,  although  they  contain  no 
noticeable  amount  of  silica.  Nos.  7  and  8  apparently  represent  the  top  of  the 
Trenton  limestone.  If  that  bed  has  here  the  thickness  of  two  hundred  feet, 
which  is  usual  in  this  part  of  the  State,  the  top  of  the  water-bearing  St.  Peters 
sandstone  would  be  reached  at  eight  hundred  and  fifty-one  feet,  about  one  hun- 
dred feet  nearer  the  surface  than  it  would  be,  if  the  dip  observed  in  Grundy 
and  Will  counties  was  continued  to  this  place. 

Economical      Geology. 

The  local  supply  of  all  especially  valuable  minerals  is  small ;  and  the  county 
must  rely  for  wealth,  chiefly  upon  its  agricultural  and  manufacturing  capaci- 
ties. Aside  from  the  sandy  ridges  of  its  river  bottoms,  its  soil  is  fertile  and 
already  produces  large  crops.  But  much  of  the  surface  is  yet  uncultivated, 
and,  as  elsewhere  in  fertile  countries,  the  abundance  of  rich  land  leads  to  waste- 
ful farming,  which,  before  many  years,  must  inevitably  lead  to  the  production 


KANKAKEE   AND  IROQUOIS   COUNTIES.  235 

of  "old  fields,"  the  characteristic  result  of  such  farming  in  the  older  States. 
The  remedy,  of  course,  lies  in  thorough  manuring,  which  is,  and  always  will 
be  neglected  by  those  who  are  ambitious  to  have  the  largest  farms,  without  re- 
gard to  the  rate  of  production.  The  abundant  marshes  or  sloughs,  often  un- 
derlaid by  deposits  of  shell  marl,  furnish  the  best  of  material  for  rendering  the 
sand  ridges  fertile. 

The  water  power  of  the  Kankakee  is  partially  utilized  by  four  or  five  dams 
and  mills;  but  not  a  tithe  of  it  is  thus  employed,  though  it  might  be  made  the 
source  of  immense  wealth. 

Coal  exists  in  sufficient  quantities  for  domestic  use,  though,  even  for  this,  it 
must  be  hauled  many  miles ;  but  it  can  hardly  be  profitably  used  in  extensive 
operations  until  a  railroad  shall  bring  it  directly  from  a  larger  coal  field  near  at 
hand.  If  the  east  and  west  road  through  the  county,  so  long  talked  of,  should 
be  built,  an  abundant  supply  of  coal  would  be  brought  from  Grundy  and  LaSalle 
counties ;  otherwise,  the  reliance  must  be  upon  Vermilion  county  and  the  Indi- 
ana field,  whence  coal  will  soon  be  delivered  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county 
by  the  new  Chicago,  Danville  and  Terra  Haute  railroad.  The  Danville  coal 
is  now  brought  to  Kankakee  City,  via  the  Great  Western  and  Illinois  Central 
roads ;  but  the  route  is  so  circuitous  that  freights  make  a  very  heavy  addition 
to  the  cost.  Possibly,  the  coal  recently  discovered  in  Iroquois  county  may 
prove  sufficiently  abundant  to  be  the  best  source  of  supply  for  Kankakee  county. 

Iron. — Bos  ore  is  known  to  exist  in  small  quantities  in  some  of  the  sloughs 
near  the  State  line.  If  larger  beds  can  be  found  within  easy  reach  of  the  new 
railroad,  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  Momence  should  not  speedily  have 
an  iron  furnace,  supplied  with  bog  ore  from  its  own  neighborhood,  with  richer 
ores  from  Lake  Superior,  via  Chicago,  with  "block"  coal  direct  from  the  Wa- 
bash,  and  a  blast  driven  by  the  water-power  of  the  Kankakee.  If  this  be  un- 
dertaken, it  would  be  well  to  examine  more  thoroughly  the  beds  of 

Peat,  which  are  known  to  exist  near  that  place,  though  now  supposed  to  be 
of  small  extent. 

Building  Stone  is  quarried  at  many  points  in  the  county.  The  best  rock 
seen  is  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Limestone  township,  in  section  16,  of  that 
township,  and  in  the  river  bed  at  Momence.  The  quarries  in  section  16,  of 
limestone,  should  be  more  largely  developed,  and  made  to  supply  stone  to  all 
the  neighboring  country.  If  the  Kankakee  were  rendered  navigable,  this 
might  be  made  a  very  profitable  business,  and  would  pay  well  even  as  it  is. 
The  rock  quarried  at  Kankakee  City  is  very  objectionable  on  account  of  the 
abundance  of  shaly  partings  which  must  ultimately  cause  the  destruction  of 
buildings  now  erected  at  so  great  expense.  It  would  be  much  wiser  for  build- 
ers of  any  large  structure,  especially  of  those  of  so  extensive  and  elegant  a 
character  as  the  Methodist  church  in  that  city,  to  pay  enough  more  to  cover 


236  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

the  expense  of  hauling  good  stone  five  miles,  than  to  use  at  less  expense,  a  ma- 
terial which  will  insure  the  ultimate  destruction  of  the  buildings  by  weathering 
at  no  very  distant  day. 

Water. — Artesian  wells  can  probably  be  obtained  anywhere  in  the  county, 
at  a  depth  nowhere  exceeding  twelve  hundred  feet ;  and  it  is  probable  that  a 
permanent  supply  could  be  had  at  nine  hundred  feet  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county.  The  water  from  the  St.  Peters  sandstone  has,  in  some  cases,  been 
found  quite  saline ;  but  in  such  cases  a  purer  water  can  generally  be  reached 
by  boring  into  the  underlying  Calciferous  sandstone,  and  tubing  out  the  upper 
flow.  No  artesian  wells  have  yet  been  obtained  in  this  county,  the  only  deep 
boring,  the  "  oil  well,"  south  of  Kankakee  City,  having  stopped  at  the  top  of 
the  Trenton  limestone.  The  Drift  beds  which  supply  the  numerous  flowing 
wells  of  the  south  part  of  Iroquois  county,  apparently  do  not  exist  north  of  the 
east  and  west  portion  of  the  Iroquois  river  valley. 

Iroquois  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Kankakee  county ;  on  the  west, 
by  Livingston  and  Ford ;  on  the  south,  by  Ford  and  Vermilion  counties ;  and 
on  the  east  by  Indiana.  It  contains  eleven  hundred  and  fifty-six  square 
miles,  being  thirty-four  miles  square.  Of  this  area,  far  the  larger  part  is 
gently  rolling  prairie.  The  northeastern  quarter  is  separated  from  the  rest  of 
the  county  by  the  Iroquois  river,  which,  entering  the  county  from  Indiana,  a 
little  north  of  the  center  of  its  east  line,  flows  in  a  general  west  course  to  near 
the  middle  of  the  county,  and  thence  nearly  due  north  into  Kankakee  county. 
This  stream  is  quite  sluggish,  and  navigable  for  flat-boats  from  the  northern 
county-line  up  to  Middleport ;  above  this  point,  it  is  smaller  and  more  broken. 
Its  principal  branches  are  Sugar  creek,  from  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
county,  and  Spring  creek,  from  the  southwestern.  All  these  streams  have 
considerable  bottoms,  but  those  of  the  main  Iroquois  are  especially  interesting, 
on  account  of  their  connection  with  the  subject  of  the  old  Lake  Kankakee. 
All  along  this  valley,  and  for  considerable  distances  from  the  present  river 
bottoms,  we  find  the  extensive  accumulations  of  sand  which  mark  the  bottom 
and  shores  of  the  old  river  valley.  These  beds  have  not  been  traced  along  the 
upper  part  of  the  river,  so  as  to  ascertain  whether  or  not  they  are  continuous 
with  those  of  the  upper  Kankakee,  as  has  been  suspected ;  but  the  lower 
portion  of  the  valley  was  certainly  filled  by  a  broad  arm  of  the  expanded  chan- 
nel through  which  the  waters  of  Lake  Kankakee  passed  to  the  narrower  outlet 
below.  In  my  report  upon  Kankakee  county,  I  have  expressed  the  opinion 
that  Lake  Erie  may  possibly  have,  at  one  time,  poured  out  its  waters  in  this 

NOTE. — The  map  referred  to  on  page  228  has  not  been  published  for  the  lack  of  means  to 
defray  the  expense  of  engraving.  The  most  essential  parts  of  it  will,  however,  be  transferred 
on  to  the  State  map,  now  in  process  of  construction,  to  accompany  the  final  volume  of  these 
reports.  A.  H.  W. 


KANKAKEE   AKD   IROQUOIS   COUNTIES.  237 

direction;  but  further  consideration  of  the  summit-levels  of  the  Wabash  has 
shown  that  that  stream  would  have  given  exit  to  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  at  all 
times  when  its  elevation  would  have  approached  that  of  Lake  Kankakee. 

The  sands  of  these  old  river  or  estuary  bottoms,  are  mostly  quite  pure  silex, 
and  blown  about  by  the  winds.  Judging  from  the  material,  it  would  seem 
probable  that  at  least  the  larger  part  of  them  originated  from  the  disintegra- 
tion of  the  sandstones  of  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures,  which  formerly  covered 
the  larger  part,  if  not  the  whole,  of  this  county,  together  with  an  extensive 
region  on  the  upper  Iroquois.  They  therefore  have  little  fertility,  except  what 
is  due  to  the  small  quantity  of  river-silt  deposited  with  them,  and  the  debris 
of  the  small  amount  of  vegetation  which  has  thus  far  grown  upon  them.  They 
are  in  some  places  entirely  barren;  in  others,  they  are  covered  by  a  thin  growth 
of  oaks  and  hickories.  The  present  river  bottoms  are  of  course  well  covered 
with  a  great  variety  of  timber,  being  very  fertile. 

The  remainder  of  the  county  is  rich,  rolling  prairie,  covered  with  the  char- 
acteristic deep,  black,  mucky  soil  which  produces  such  heavy  growths  of  all 
sorts  of  vegetables.  This  is  based  upon  generally  thin  clay-beds  of  the  "  Loess," 
and  this  upon  the  sands,  gravels,  and  heavy  boulder-clay  of  the  Drift  period, 
which  latter  bed  is,  in  at  least  one  case,  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  thick.  In 
a  well  sunk  at  Sheldon,  the  gravel  above  the  boulder  clay  was  found  com- 
pacted into  a  coarse  sandstone.  At  a  shaft  and  boring  made  in  1865,  by  Mr. 
John  Faulds,  of  Vermilion  county,  between  Onarga  and  Oilman,  the  following 
section  of  these  surface  deposits  was  obtained  : 

FEET. 

Blue  and  red  clay 98 

Sand  and  soft  sediment 140 

Hard  pan 10 

Hard  stony  clay 20 

Total 268 

At  this  depth  limestone  was  encountered,  and  the  boring  stopped.  This 
may  have  been  only  a  boulder,  but  was  more  probably  a  solid  bed  of  the  Niag- 
ara group.  A  boring  made  in  1866,  between  Onarga  and  Spring  creek,  is  said 
to  have  reached  a  depth  of  four  hundred  feet  without  encountering  any  solid 
rock.  These  and  other  borings  in  this  region  have  indicated  the  existence  of 
an  old  channel  running  through  the  county,  which  is  nowentirely  filled  with 
the  Drift  deposits.  Examinations  in  adjoining  counties  have  shown  that  this 
is  the  continuation  of  the  valley  now  filled  by  Lake  Michigan.  Its  course  is 
southward  from  the  southern  extremity  of  the  lake,  trending  a  little  westwardly 
(though  still  passing  to  the  eastward  of  Momence,  in  Kankakee  county),  until 
near  the  northern  line  of  Iroquois,  where  it  bends  more  strongly  to  the  west- 
ward, and  passes  on  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the  county,  with  its  eastern 


238  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

border  near  the  Spring  creek  valley  east  of  Onarga,  and  its  western  at  Chats- 
worth,  in  Livingston  county.  Passing  on  to  the  southward  and  westward, 
Urbana  was  within  its  limits,  though  probably  near  its  eastern  border ;  and 
Bloomington  appears  to  have  been  near  its  center.  Further  westward,  its  loca- 
tion has  not  been  determined.  This  valley  was  doubtless  first  excavated  by 
the  glacier  which  dug  out  the  basin  of  Lake  Michigan ;  and,  as  this  gradually 
melted  and  retired,  the  material  of  the  "  terminarmoraine  "  partially  filled  the 
channel,  while  the  river  formed  from  the  melting  ice,  still  occupied  a  part  of  it- 
The  partially-filled  bottom,  as  the  glacier  retired  to  Lake  Michigan  and  beyond) 
became  overgrown  with  vegetation,  the  remnants  of  which  we  find  both  in  dis- 
tinct beds,  such  as  have  been  encountered  in  boring  and  shafting  at  Chats- 
worth,  Urbana  and  Bloomington,  and  in  the  sand  and  gravet  beds  which 
afterward  accumulated  and  filled  the  valley. 

Rock    Fo  rmations . 

No  outcrop  of  rock  is  known  within  the  county,  and  we  are  obliged  to  rely 
wholly  upon  bores  and  shafts  for  our  knowledge  of  the  underlying  beds.  The 
southeastern  part  of  the  county  is  probably  underlaid  by  Coal  Measure  rocks ; 
but  the  only  point  at  which  this  is  known  to  be  the  case,  is  between  Gilman 
and  Watseka,  where  coal  is  said  to  have  been  found  recently  at  a  depth  of  one 
hundred  and  five  feet.  Reported  thickness  of  seam,  eight  feet.  No  details 
known,  at  the  present  writing. 

Limestone  was  reported  as  existing  on  the  bank  of  the  Iroquois,  in  section 
14,  township  27  north,  range  13  west,  but  no  outcrop  was  found ;  and  all  evi- 
dence favors  the  supposition  that  loose  fragments  found  there  were  remnants  of 
loads  of  rocks  formerly  brought  in  flat-boats  from  Sugar  Island  just  below  the 
county  line,  in  Kaukakee  county.  These  rocks  are  the  uppermost  beds  of  the 
Silurian,  and  may  be  referred  to  either  the  Onondaga  Salt  group,  or  the  top  of 
the  Niagara  group. 

A  boring  at  Onarga  encountered  its  first  rock  at  about  three  hundred  feet  in 
a  bed  of  calcareous  shale,  which  should  probably  be  referred  to  the  upper  part 
of  the  Cincinnati  group,  the  overlying  Niagara  and  Coal  Measure  rocks  having 
been  removed  from  their  original  position  here,  during  the  excavation  of  the 
glacier  valley. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  some  thin  continuations  of  the  Devonian  and  Sub- 
carboniferous  rocks  of  Indiana  might  be  found  in  place,  between  the  Niagara 
limestone  and  the  Coal  Measures,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  j  but  it  is 
not  probable  that  they  reach  to  the  western  portion  of  it. 


KANKAKEE   AND   IROQUOISJCOUNTIES."  239 


Economical    Geology. 

It  is  probable  that  enough  coal  will  be  found  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
county  to  become  largely  an  article  of  export,  as  well  as  to  supply  the  local  de- 
mand. From  the  position  in  the  Measures  which  the  seams  here  to  be  found 
probably  occupy,  it  is  not  improbable  that  they  may  furnish  the  free-burning 
"'  block  "  coal  so  much  sought  for,  for  furnace  use.  But  of  this,  nothing  is 
known  yet. 

Limestone  for  building,  though  not  of  the  most  durable  variety,  can  be  ob- 
tained in  any  quantity  along  the  lower  course  of  the  Iroquois,  in  Kankakee 
county,  and  can  be  brought  in  flat-boats  to  the  center  of  the  county.  Some  ef 
the  same  beds  will  yield  a  good  article  of  hydraulic  lime.  A  strong  building 
lime  can  be  obtained  at  Momence,  and  brought  into  the  county  very  cheaply 
by  the  new  Chicago  and  Danville  railroad. 

The  river  bottoms  are,  of  course,  well  supplied  with  water ;  and  the  prairie 
portions  of  the  southern  half  of  the  county,  besides  getting  moderate  supplies 
by  the  shallow  wells  in  the  subsoil,  also  obtain  unlimited  quantities  of  flowing 
water  by  forcing  "  drive  wells,"  or  sinking  borings  from  thirty  to  sixty  feet 
into  the  sand  or  gravel  beds  which  occur  in  the  top  of  the  boulder  clay.  The 
occurrence  of  artesian  water  at  so  small  a  depth,  and  especially  in  unconsolida- 
ted  deposits,  is  very  uncommon,. though  not  unknown  elsewhere.  The  cause 
of  the  phenomenon  is  a  little  uncertain.  I  was  at  first  inclined  to  suppose  that 
the  water  supply  came  from  the  higher  land  of  Central  Indiana,  north  of  the 
Wabash ;  but  have  concluded  that  that  position  is  untenable.  The  only  ex- 
planation which  has  proved  entirely  satisfactory  to  me,  is  that  which  refers  the 
source  of  the  water  to  the  St.  Peters  sandstone,  which  supplies  so  many  arte- 
sian wells  in  LaSalle,  Grundy,  Will  and  Cook  counties.  Following  the  line  of 
the  anticlinal  axis,  which  runs  south  33°  east  from  LaSalle,  we  find  that  it 
passes  very  near  Urbana,  at  which  place  deep  borings  in  the  materials  which 
fill  the  old  valley,  before  described,  have  found  at  the  bottom  a  pure  white 
sand,  closely  resembling  that  into  which  the  St.  Peters  disintegrates  at  its  out- 
crop. This  sand,  and  others  in  contact  with  it,  are  so  abundantly  filled  with 
water  in  all  this  region,  as  to  have  defied  all  efforts  to  sink  shafts  through  it; 
and  it  is  natural  to  refer  the  water  to  the  artesian  supply  of  the  St.  Peters. 
If  the  boulder  clay  were  continuous  over  the  whole  region,  it  would  not  be 
likely  to  allow  this  water  to  ascend  and  escape,  except  from  the  edges  of  the 
stratum ;  but,  as  the  Lake  Michigan  glacier  must  have  continued  to  occupy 
this  valley  after  the  disappearance  of  the  universal  glacier  which  covered  the 
whole  country,  and  deposited  the  boulder  clay  over  the  general  surface,  its 
later  deposits,  though  of  the  same  material,  were  not  continuous  with  the  earlier 


240  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

ones ;  and  it  is  through  the  beds  formed  along  the  slopes  of  the  valley  that 
the  water  probably  finds  means  to  escape  to  a  higher  level.  It  is  only  the  top- 
most layers  of  the  boulder  clay  and  those  of  the  overlying  clays  of  the  Loess 
which  prevent  its  escape  everywhere  to  the  surface. 

Many  persons  have  been  inclined  to  suppose  this  to  be  "  mineral  water,"  or 
"  poisonous,"  because  where  the  surplus  overflow  has  been  allowed  to  run 
through  orchards,  it  has  killed  the  trees.  But  this  was  only  in  consequence  of 
their  being  suffocated,  by  the  water  preventing  the  access  of  air  to  their  roots. 
Care  should  be  taken,  in  sinking  these  wells,  to  select  points  where  the  sur- 
plus water  can  escape  directly  to  the  channels  of  natural  drainage. 

The  area  within  which  these  wells  have  been  successfully  sunk  is  about  fif- 
teen miles  from  north  to  south,  and  about  thirty-seven  from^east  to  west,  in- 
cluding a  small  part  of  Ford  county,  as  indicated  upon  the  map.  At  many 
points  outside  of  this  area,  the  water  comes  within  a  few  feet  of  the  surface,  so 
as  to  be  pumped  out  with  the  utmost  ease. 

For  information  concerning  this  county,  I  am  especially  indebted  to  Edward 
Rumley,  Esq.,  of  Onarga,  and  H.  S.  Wing,  Esq.,  of  Kankakee  City. 


CHAPTER     XVI. 


VERMILION    COUNTY. 

This  county  lies  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  State,  about  midway  of  its 
length  ;  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Iroquois  county ;  on  the  west,  by 
Ford  and  Champaign  counties;  on  the  south,  by  Edgar  county;  and  on  the 
east,  by  Warren  and  Vermilion  counties,  of  Indiana.  It  is  forty-two  miles 
long,  and  about  twenty-one  miles  wide,  giving  an  area  of  about  eight  hundred 
and  eighty  square  miles. 

The  surface  of  the  county  presents  considerable  variety.  The  northern  and 
southern  portions  are  high  rolling  prairies,  the  eastern  arms  of  Grand  Prairie, 
more  or  less  broken  by  the  sloughs  and  small  streams  which  gather  from  their 
surface  the  main  supply  of  the  water  which  fills  the  Big  and  Little  Vermilion 
rivers.  Through  its  center,  Salt  Fork,  which  drains  a  considerable  portion  of 
Champaign  county,  runs  in  a  general  easterly  direction,  until,  by  its  union  with 
Middle  and  North  Forks,  it  becomes  the  Big  Vermilion,  and,  near  Danville, 
turns  southeastwardly  to  join  the  Wa'jash  below  Eugene,  Indiana.  In  its  en- 
tire length  within  this  county,  it  runs  through  a  belt  of  timber  varying  from 
two  to  four  miles  in  width.  Through  the  western  third  of  the  county,  the  Lit- 
tle Vermilion  is  little  more  than  a  prairie  drain  ;  but  becomes  of  more  import- 
ance in  the  lower  part  of  its  course,  where  it  is  lined  with  from  one  to  three 
miles  of  timber.  Both  Middle  and  North  Forks  have  considerable  timber  along 
their  banks  for  ten  or  twelve  miles  above  their  junctions  with  Salt  Fork,  but 
only  scattering  groves  farther  up.  Below  the  points  where  they  enter  the  tim- 
ber, all  of  these  streams  have  high  bluffy  banks,  with  noticeably  wider  bottoms 
where  they  have  cut  through  the  softer  beds  of  rock,  and  narrower  ones  where 
they  have  encountered  the  harder  sandstones.  The  prairies  have  a  dense, 
black  mucky  soil  of  variable  depth,  underlaid  in  most  cases  by  a  tough,  brown 
clay  subsoil.  Along  the  streams  the  soil,  and  in  many  places,  the  subsoil,  has 
been  removed  by  drainage,  and  the  underlying  more  porous  clays  and  gravels 
have  allowed  of  a  heavy  growth  of  timber.  Upon  the  higher  grounds,  this 
—31 

\ 


242  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

consists  principally  of  white  and  black  oak  and  hickories,  with  only  a  small 
proportion,  though  a  considerable  variety,  of  other  species.  The  bottoms  sup- 
port a  dense  growth  of  oaks,  white  and  black  walnut,  mulberry,  elm,  hack- 
berry,  etc.,  with  not  unfrequent  groves  of  sugar-maple. 

Alluvium. — The  alluvial  deposits  of  the  bottoms,  composed  of  the  broken-up 
materials  of  all  the  older  beds  which  have  been  worn  away  in  the  excavation  of 
the  valleys,  together  with  the  portions  which  are  continually  brought  down  by 
the  small  tributaries,  cover  considerable  surfaces,  but  have  nowhere  accumulated 
to  any  great  depth. 

Loess. — The  marly  and  sandy  clays  of  the  Loess,  a  lake  deposit  made  before 
the  formation  of  the  present  soil,  are  not  very  thickly  developed  in  this  county, 
though  they  include  the  brown  clay  subsoil  which  underlies  almost  the  entire 
surface.  The  only  shell-bearing  clay  observed,  though  it  is  doubtless  common 
in  the  prairie  sloughs,  is  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Fairmount.  The  black 
soil  is  here  from  one  to  two  feet  thick,  and  is  underlaid  by  a  light  brown,  tena- 
cious clay,  filled  with  the  calcareous  shells  of  Lymnea,  Phi/sa,  Planorbis,  Sphse- 
rium,  etc.  In  some  portions,  these  have  decomposed,  and  we  have  white,  marly 
lumps  and  streaks  which  are  characteristic  of  beds  of  this  formation.  At  this 
locality,  the  partially  decayed  skeleton  of  a  Mastodon  was  found,  in  September, 
1868.  The  bones  were  lying  partly  upon,  partly  imbedded  in,  this  marly  clay, 
the  tip  of  one  of  the  tusks  being  within  thirteen  inches  of  the  surface.  The 
slough  had  been  mostly  drained,  of  late  years,  the  air  had  permeated  the  bed  and 
pretty  thoroughly  decayed  the  bones,  which  were  doubtless  in  good  preservation 
so  long  as  they  were  constantly  covered  with  water.  The  parts  were  promiscu- 
ously mingled,  showing  that  the  animal  had  not  been  left  to  decay  undisturbed. 
Marks  of  gnawing  upon  a  few  of  the  bones,  give  reason  to  suppose  that  the 
water  in  which  the  animal  lay  was  so  shallow  as  to  give  access  to  wolves  or 
other  carniverous  animals.  The  fragments  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
Chicago  Academy  of  Science. 

I  am  informed  that,  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  county,  the  bones  of  these 
animals  were  quite  common  in  the  sloughs  of  this  region,  and  even  at  the  pre- 
sent day  the  discovery  of  isolated  fragments  is  no  rare  occurrence.  It  seems 
probable  that  a  little  careful  searching,  in  such  localities,  would  secure  some 
still  perfect  skeletons.  It  is  evident  that  these  enormous  animals  roamed  in 
considerable  numbers  over  the  prairies  at  no  very  remote  period. 

These  beds  of  Loess  are  everywhere  underlaid  by  the 

Boulder  Drift. — The  deposits  of  this  age  form  extensive  beds,  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  this  county.  They  have  been  penetrated  to  the  depth  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet,  near  the  north  line  of  the  county,  where  they  compose  the 
dividing  ridge  between  the  waters  of  the  Big  Vermilion  and  those  of  the  Iro- 
quois.  Along  both  sides  of  the  Middle  and  North  forks  of  the  Big  Vermilion, 


VERMILION   COUNTY.  243 

they  form  extensive  bluffs,  in  some  cases  one  hundred  feet  high.  Two  mem- 
bers are  here  represented ;  the  upper  consisting  principally  of  heavy  beds  of 
sand  and  coarse  gravel,  with  occasional  thin  layers  of  clay,  which,  where  near 
the  surface,  have  been  discolored  by  the  oxydation  of  the  small  portion  of  iron 
which  they  contain,  and  appear  as  yellowish  and  reddish-brown  beds,  but,  at. 
greater  depths,  still  retain  the  original  blue  tint  which  is  the  prevailing  color 
of  the  lower  members. 

In  connection  with  these  upper  beds  of  the  Drift,  and  also  with  the  Loess, 
we  find,  scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  county,  many  large  masses  of  lime- 
stone and  occasionally  sandstone.  In  several  cases,  these  are  so  large  and  so 
deeply  imbedded  as  to  have  induced  the  belief  that  they  were  the  outcropping 
edges  of  solid  beds  of  rock.  Some  of  these  masses  are  composed  of  a  beauti- 
ful, light,  fawn  colored  limestone,  of  a  homogenous,  fine  grained  texture,  and 
destitute  of  fossils,  so  far  as  noticed.  Kilns  of  lime  have  been  burned,  from 
rock  of  this  character,  one  or  two  miles  north  of  Rossville,  and  also  about  one 
mile  south  of  Mann's  chapel,  in  section  36,  town  22  north,  range  12  west.  One 
mile  south  of  this  latter  locality,  and  also  at  about  the  same*  distance  to 
the  northwest,  there  were  observed  several  large  masses  of  a  dark,  semi-crystal- 
line, bituminous  limestone,  with  a  few  fossils.  The  rock  is  supposed  to  be  Si- 
lurian. Smaller  fragments  of  the  light  colored  rock  are  not  unfrequent  to  the 
southward,  even  as  far  as  Terre  Haute.  The  general  appearance  of  the  stone 
would  indicate  that  it  belongs  to  the  Coal  Measures,  but  no  outcrop  of  an  ex- 
actly similar  rock  is  known,  so  that  its  origin  is  uncertain.  In  the  western 
part  of  this  county,  and  in  the  adjoining  part  of  Champaign,  there  are  numer- 
ous scattered  masses  of  a  light  drab,  semi-crystalline  or  fragmentary  to  massive, 
sometimes  shaly,  limestone,  highly  fossiliferous,  which  belong  to  the  bed  marked 
No.  1,  in  the  general  section  of  the  rocks  of  the  county,  and  indicate  its  former 
extension  toward  the  north  and  west.  Many  of  the  other  rocks  of  the  county 
are  also  locally  distributed  in  connection  with  these  upper  beds  of  the  Drift,  as 
at  Danville,  where,  in  the  banks  of  gravel  stripped  from  over  the  coal,  we  find 
very  numerous  thin  slabs  of  a  compact,  fragmentary  to  semi-crystalline  lime- 
stone, containing  numerous  fragments  of  fish  teeth — No.  21  of  the  general 
section — which,  at  Rock  ford  of  Salt  fork,  lies  ninety-five  feet  above  the  Dan- 
ville coal.  These  beds,  also,  not  unfrequently  contain  fragments  of  coal  and 
shale,  which  have  led  many  persons  to  suppose  that  coal  was  necessarily  close 
at  hand.  But  they  also  contain  lumps  of  native  copper  transported  from  Lake 
Superior,  and  bits  of  lead  ore  from  the  Galena  region  ;  and  it  is  by  no  means 
certain  that  the  coal  of  the  same  beds  has  all  been  taken  up  from  the  immedi- 
ate neighborhood  where  it  is  found.  These  masses  of  coal  and  shale  are  abun- 
dant in  these  beds,  as  far  as  Lake  Michigan  at  least,  and  it  is  still  an  open 
question  whether  they  have  been  swept  down  from  the  Michigan  coal  fields,  or 


244  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

are  the  remnants  of  some  broken  up  beds  which  may  formerly  have  connected 
that  with  the  Illinois  field. 

Both  these  beds  and  the  lower  member  of  the  Drift  formation  give  rise  to 
numerous  springs,  some  of  which  have  taken  up  so  much  lime  from  the  lime- 
stone pebbles  which  fill  the  gravel,  that,  upon  coming  to  the  surface,  they  make 
abundant  deposits  of  tufa,  as  along  the  bank  of  the  Big  Vermilion,  at  Danville, 
and  especially  at  the  "  Moss  Bank"  on  North  Fork,  about  one  mile  northwest 
of  that  city.  Some  of  the  deposits  are  light  and  porous,  and  take  beautiful 
impressions  of  the  mosses,  twigs,  and  leaves  which  become  imbedded  in  them. 
Kecent  snail-shells,  thus  fossilized,  are  not  rare.  In  other  cases,  the  deposition 
has  gone  on  more  slowly,  and  without  the  introduction  of  extraneous  matter, 
and  we  find  as  the  result  some  very  solid  masses  with  a  radiating  semi-crystal- 
line structure,  which  approximates  more  nearly  the  ordinary  stalagmitic  for- 
mations. 

The  lower  member  of  the  Drift— the  ((  boulder-clay" — is  a  tough,  light-blue 
clay,  filled  with  gravel  of  various  degrees  of  fineness,  with  some  larger  boulders. 
In  this  county,  it  is  from  fifty  to  eighty  feet  in  thickness,  and  forms  some  con- 
siderable bluffs,  as  at  Mills'*  s  mill,  on  Middle  Fork,  where  it  is  capped  with  the 
gravel  and  sand  of  the  upper  member.  It  also  forms  the  mound  at  Kyger's 
mill,  near  the  mouth  of  Grape  creek.  Here,  the  river  ran  for  centuries  to  the 
west  of  the  mound,  and  excavated  a  broad  valley,  which  is  now  deserted  and 
partially  filled  up,  and  the  stream  passes  to  the  eastward,  leaving  a  small  island 
of  the  boulder-clay,  which  presents  an  almost  perpendicular  face  on  the  east 
side,  where  it  is  now  undermined  by  the  current.  Curiously  enough,  a  spring 
of  cold  water  flows  out  at  the  top  of  this  mound. 

Goal  Measures. — The  rock  formations  of  this  county  all  belong  to  the  Coal 
Measures.  The  following  is  a  general  statement  of  the  section,  from  the  high- 
est beds  seen  in  the  county  to  the  junction  of  the  Big  Vermilion,  with  the 
Wabash  river  below  Eugene,  with  the  addition  of  the  section  from  the  lowest 
beds  there  seen  to  the  bottom  of  the  Lodi  salt  well,  as  carefully  determined 
and  reported  by  John  Collett,  Esq.,  of  Eugene.  It  was  found  necessary  to 
make  these  connections  with  the  Indiana  field,  both  in  order  to  judge  of  the 
beds  underlying  Vermilion  county,  and  also  to  connect  the  section  in  Vermilion 
with  that  in  Edgar  county  : 

FEET. 

1.  Light  drab  limestone , 12    to  18 

Level  of  coal  No.  12 ? 

Covered ? 

2.  Shaly  sandstone,  with  some  solid  beds 25    to  50 

3.  Olive,  dark  red  and  light  blue  clay  shales,  lower  part  sandy  and  micaceous, 

with  bands  of  argillaceous  limestone 5     "20 

4.  Black  shale 0     "     3 

5.  Coal,  No.  11? 0     "     1| 


VERMILION   COUNTY.  245 

FEET. 

6.  Fire  clay 0    to    2£ 

7.  Sandy  shales 0     "  10 

8.  Light  drab  clay  shales,  with  ironstone  nodules 0     "  15 

9.  Argillaceous  limestone,  with  shaly  partings £  "     4 

10.  Black  shale,  some  slaty \  "    3 

11.  Coal,  No.  10? 0     "     2 

12.  Drabfire-clay 3     "     6 

13.  Light  drab  sandy  shale,  with  iron  veins 6     "     8 

14.  Black  shale,  with  ironstones — Cardiomorpka,  etc $  "    2 

Level  of  coal  No.  9 ? 

15.  Variously  colored  shales  and  clays,  with  bands  of  concretionary  argillaceous 

limestone 8     "40 

16.  Sandy  shales  and  shaly  sandstones 15     "  20 

17.  Soft  drab  clay  shale 0     "     1 

18.  Shaly  sandstone,  with  (Jaulerpites 10 

19.  Argillaceous  and  ferruginous  limestone — few  fossils £  "     2 

20.  Dark  drab  shales,  with  ironstones 20     "25 

21.  Limestone,  semi-crystalline  to  concretionary 4     "     8 

Level  of  coal  No.  8 

22.  Coarsely  concretionary  clay  shale 8     "  10 

23.  Carbonaceous  sandy  shale  and  shaly  sandstone 15     "40 

24.  Fine-grained  sandy  shale,  with  ironstones ...  30     "40 

25.  Dark  and  light  drab  clay  shale — bottom  fossiliferous 10     "30 

26.  Soft  black  shale,  with  pyritous  fossils  and  nodules 0     "     5 

27.  Coal,  No.  7 H  "     U 

28.  Fire-clay 0     "     3J 

29.  Coal,  (parting  of  No.  7,) 0     "     2 

30.  Fire-clay 6     "  15 

31.  Sandy  shales  and  shaly  clay 9     "12 

32.  Compact  silicious  limestone 1     "     1J 

33.  Dark  shaly  clay 5     "  10 

34.  Coal,  No.  6 H"     7 

35.  Fire-clay,  with  concretionary  limestone 5     "20 

36.  Sandy  shales  with  ironstones — some  quarry-stone  near  top 50     "80 

37.  Clay  shales,  with  few  ironstones 20     "40 

38.  Black  concretionary  ferruginous  limestone i  "     3 

39.  Black  clay  shale,  some  slaty • •  3     "     6 

Level  of  coal  No.  5 

40.  Soft,  light  drab  shale i  "     1 

41.  Shales  and  sandstones 15     "  30 

42.  Dark  drab  clay  shales 5     "20 

43.  Argillaceous  limestones,  changing  to  calcareous  ironstone ,- .  1 

44.  Sandy  shales,  with  some  heavy  beds  of  sandstone,  with  some  ironstones 

and  "  cone-in-cone  " 35     "40 

45.  Black  slaty  shale,  with  ironstones 2     "     3 

46.  Coal,  with  bands  of  shale,  No.  4 4     "  14 

47.  Shales,  with  limestone  bands 10     "20 

48.  Black  slaty  shale,  with  some  cannel 2     "     3 

49.  Coal  No.  3.. 1     "     If 


246  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 


50.  Fire  clay  and  Stigmarial  sandstone 4    to    6 

51.  Shales,  with  limestone  band 10     "  15 

Top  of  Lodi  Salt  well „ 

52.  Argllaceous  limestone  and   calcareous  shale 4     "     8 

53.  CoalNo.2 1     "     5 

54.  Fire  clay,  and  shale  with  iron  nodules  1  6  in. 

55.  Hard  white  sandstone 20 

56.  Argillaceous  sandstone,  with  thin  streaks  of  coal 10 

57.  "  "  white 8 

58.  Laminated  sandstone,  with  ironstones  at  bottom 16  9  in. 

59.  Sandstone  and  shale 127    " 

60.  Sandy  shale,  with  streaks  of  coal  and  slate. ,-,... , 171    " 

61.  Buff  and  white,  fine  grained,  micaceous  sandstone,  bottom  coarser 20 

62.  Black  and  drab  clay  shale,  some  sandy  layers  at  bottom 8    11    " 

63.  Coal,  "  Conglomerate  seam  " '. 16" 

64.  Black  shale 12 

65.  Soft  clay  shale,  or  fire  clay 19 

66.  Hard  sandstone 32 

67.  Clay  shale,  few  bands  of  sandstone 24  1     " 

68.  "         frequent  bands  of  sandstone 30  7     " 

69.  Very  hard  sandstone 23     " 

70.  Sandy  shale 60  7     " 

71.  Fine  sandstone 46  5     " 

72.  Shale,  some  portions  sandy 92  11  " 

73.  Hard  fine  sandstone  29     " 

74.  Shale,  with  bands  of  coarse  sandstone  951     " 

75.  Hard  sandstone 6  10  " 

76.  "Flint,"  (probably  compact  limestone  bands,  possibly  a  geode  bed). 82" 

77.  Shale,  some  sandy 44  11   " 

78.  Compact,  coarse,  sharp  sandstone,  with  pyrite 10    3  " 

79.  Fine  sandstone,  some  shaly  layers 54   7  " 

80.  Soft  clay  shale 8    8  " 

81.  Shale,  with  some  fine  grit 65    5" 

82.  "Flint" 1 

83.  Porous  sandstone 7   3  " 

84.  Clayshale 53" 

85.  Compact  white  sandstone . 40   5  " 

86.  Sandstone,  with  flinty  layers 34   1  " 

87.  Flint 16" 

88.  Soft  sandstone,  top  ochreous 9   4  " 

89.  Soft  clay  shale 39   5  " 

90.  Shale,  with  compact  sandstone  at  bottom 26   2  " 

91.  Bituminous  shale 102   1  " 

92.  Hard,  coarse,  calcareous  sandstone,  fossiliferoua. 23   1  " 

93.  White  fossiliferous  limestone 910  " 

94.  Flint 22" 

95.  Magnesian  limestone 7  10  " 


VERMILION    COUNTY.  247 

.  FEET. 

96.  Flint  10  lOin. 

97.  Compact  limestone,  with  flint 22 

98.  Magnesian      "  "         2310    " 

99.  Soft,  fine  sandstone 5 

100.  Compact,  fine  sandstone 10 

101.  Gray  limestone 6 

102.  Hard  drab  to  the  semi-crystalline  limestone,  with  drusy  cavities 28  10  " 

No.  1,  of  the  foregoing  section,  as  already  stated,  is  a  lig;ht  drab  or  fawn 
colored,  fine  grained,  sub-crystalline  to  massive  limestone,  in  some  parts  quite 
pure,  in  others  somewhat  shaly  and  slightly  ferruginous.  It  is  generally  quite 
fossiliferous,  containing  Productus,  2  or  3  sp.,  Spirifer  lineatus,  S.  cameratus, 
Atliyris  subtilita,  Terebratula  bovidens,  etc.  The  only  known  outcrops  in  this 
county,  are  near  Big  Spring,  south  of  Fairmount,  on  section  16,  township  18 
north,  range  13  west,  and  for  two  or  three  miles  south  and  west  of  this  point. 
The  bed  is  here  said  to  be  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  thick,  though  the  bot- 
tom has  never  been  certainly  reached,  and  only  from  five  to  ten  feet  are  now 
exposed.  Some  lime  has  been  burned  here,  and  considerable  portions  of  the 
bed  seem  well  fitted  for  that  use.  It  is  too  irregular,  and  breaks  up  too  readily 
with  the  frost  to  be  of  any  value  as  a  building  stone.  The  same  bed  occurs  at 
several  points  in  Edgar  county,  where  portions  of  it  afford  very  solid  stone, 
fitted  for  any  rough  work,  such  as  foundations  and  culverts.  The  supposed 
outcrop  of  this  rock  at  Osborn's  mill,  on  Salt  Fork,  a  half  mile  east  of  the 
county  line,  is  only  one  of  the  large  drifted  masses  before  mentioned.  From 
below  this  limestone,  flow  very  strong  springs ;  therefore,  although  there  is  no 
outcrop  of  rock  on  the  south  side  of  the  water-shed  toward  the  Little  Vermil- 
ion, where  we  should  naturally  expect  to  find  it,  I  am  inclined  to  consider  the 
strong  springs  on  the  land  of  John  M.  Sidell,  near  the  west  line  of  township 
17  north,  range  13  west,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Little  Vermilion,  as  pretty 
good  signs  of  its  presence  at  that  point.  Still,  some  other  circumstances  may 
have  given  exit  at  that  point  to  the  water,  which,  in  both  cases,  doubtless  comes 
from  the  great  water-bearing  quicksand  of  Champaign  county. 

Below  this  limestone,  there  is  in  the  section  a  space  of  undetermined  thick- 
ness and  character,  since  no  outcrop  has  been  found  which  will  give  a  con- 
nected view  of  this  and  the  sandstone  beds  numbered  "2,"  and  no  borings  have 
been  made  in  this  neighborhood  to  decide  the  matter.  It  is  entirely  possible 
that  the  limestone  belongs  below  this  sandstone,  and  is  simply  missing  from  its 
place  in  the  section  along  Salt  Fork,  in  consequence  of  having  been  removed 
by  the  heavy  erosion  which  the  beds  in  that  region  evidently  suffered  before 
the  deposition  of  the  sandstone  No.  2.  There  is,  however,  at  present,  no  suf- 
ficient reason  for  believing  this. 


248  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

No.  2  of  the  section  is  first  met  with  in  following  down  Jordan  creek,  about 
two  miles  north  of  Fairmount,  in  the  south  half  of  section  27,  town  19  north, 
range  13  west.  It  is  here  a  very  shaly  rock,  and  of  no  practical  value;  but  in 
sections  20  and  21  of  the  same  township,  above  and  below  the  Conkeytown 
bridge  over  Salt  Fork,  it  furnishes  some  more  compact  beds,  which  have  been 
quarried  for  foundations  and  bridge  abutments.  One  of  these  layers,  near  the 
bottom  of  this  bed,  from  one  to  two  feet  thick,  is  a  very  solid  stone,  and  would 
pay  for  quarrying  if  the  quantity  were  greater.  From  its  outcrop  along  the  base 
of  the  river  bluffs,  considerable  quantities  have  been  gathered  for  use  at  Fair- 
mount.  Less  compact  layers,  from  the  upper  part  of  this  bed,  are  quarried,  to 
some  extent,  at  Davis's  quarry,  in  the  south  part  of  section  31,  of  this  township, 
and  are  said  to  become  hard  and  durable  under  the  action  of  the  weather,  on 
account  of  the  contained  oxyd  of  iron.  Other  openings  in  this  neighborhood 
are  now  abandoned. 

These  are  the  highest  beds  exposed  upon  Salt  Fork.  Ingoing  but  short  dis- 
tances up  and  down  the  stream,  we  come  upon  the  underlying  thin  coal  seam, 
with  its  accompanying  black  shales  and  argillaceous  limestones,  so  that  this  is 
evidently  a  point  of  the  north  and  south  axis  of  the  synclinal  between  the  east- 
ern border  of  the  coal  field  and  the  axis  of  elevation  which  has  been  noted  as 
running  about  south  33°  east  from  the  neighborhood  of  LaSalle.  This  latter 
axis  must  evidently  pass  through  the  adjoining  county  of  Champaign,  though 
the  upper  strata  were  there  so  extensively  removed  before  the  Drift  period,  that 
no  outcrops  now  exist  to  show  what  the  actual  dip  is. 

Through  the  eastern  part  of  Vermilion  county,  the  dip  is  mainly  to  the  south- 
west, at  a  small  angle,  though  local  dips  are  very  various.  In  ascending  Salt 
Fork,  these  characters  are  constant  until  we  pass  the  west  line  of  township  19 
north,  range  12  west,  where  the  dip  becomes  much  more  rapid  for  a  few  miles, 
and  until  it  is  reversed  at  the  synclinal,  above  which  the  eastward  dip  is  very 
gentle. 

Nos.  4  to  12  of  the  section  are  exceedingly  variable  in  their  characters  and 
succession,  so  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  give  a  general  section  which  shall  fairly 
represent  their  different  aspects.  Their  most  noticeable  components  are  the 
bands  of  argillaceous  limestone  near  the  top  of  the  series,  which  are  sometimes 
compact  and  sometimes  marly,  but  always  contain  great  numbers  of  fossils,  espe- 
cially Hemipronites  crassa  and  Productus  longispinus,  together  with  P.  costatus, 
P.  Rogersii,  P.  scdbriculus,  Athyris  subtilitat  Spirifer  cameratus,  S.  plano-con- 
vexa,  Spiriferina  Kentuckensis,  Retzia,  punctilifcra,  Cyathoxonia  proUfera, 
plates  of  Zeacrinus,  and  various  Bryozoa,  The  black  shales  which  appear,  some- 
times above,  sometimes  below,  and  sometimes  between  these  limestone  bands, 
are  sometimes  soft  and  sometimes  slaty;  under  all  which  variations,  we  find  them 
containing  a  few  specimens  of  Dlscina  nitida,  Liwjula^m^.  rhombic  fish-scales. 


VERMILION    COUNTY.  249 

Above  the  synclinal  axis,  the  coal  accompanying  these  beds  is  pretty  con&tant, 
with  a  thickness  of  six  to  twenty  inches;  further  east,  it  is  very  thin,  and  in 
some  cases  disappears.  Near  the  west  line  of  section  35,  town  19  north,  range 
14  west,  I  also  found  a  point  where  the  whole  of  these  beds  had  been  removed 
by  erosion,  and  the  shaly  sandstone  of  No.  2  had  been  deposited  directly  upon 
No.  13.  These  beds  also  occur  just  above  the  mouth  of  Stony  creek,  with  six 
inches  of  coal.  In  ascending  this  creek,  no  rock  was  found  above  No.  2,  which 
forms  the  banks  just  above  the  crossing  of  the  State  road,  in  section  22. 

In  descending  Salt  Fork,  the  black,  slaty  shale  of  No.  14  is  found  in  the  tops 
of  the  hills  below  Major's  mill,  accompanied  by  large  concretions  of  black,  cal- 
careous ironstone,  containing  CardiomorpJia  Missouriemis,  Orthoceras,  Nautilus, 
and  fish-scales. 

The  shales  of  No.  15  are  generally  green  and  red.  The  limestone  bands  ac- 
companying them  are  in  some  places  crowded  with  fossils,  such  as  Myalina, 
Nucula,  Lt>da,  Monopteria,  Aviculopecten,  Bellerophon,  Macrocheilus,  Hemipronites 
crassa,  Athyris  subtilita,  Productus  scabriculus,  etc.  The  best  locality  is  about 
eighty  rods  below  Major's  mill,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Oxbow  bend. 

No.  18  is  a  shaly  sandstone,  which  furnishes  a  good  horizon  for  recognition-, 
since  it  is  characterized  by  a  great  abundance  of  more  or  less  perfect  fronds 
of  the  fucoid  Caulerpites  marginatus,  Lesqx.  This  is  found  to  occupy  nearly 
the  same  position  in  the  section  in  Edgar  county. 

No.  19  is  analogous  in  character  with  Nos.  3  and  9,  and  contains  the  same 
fossils,  with  the  addition  of  Myalina,  Orthis  carbonaria,  and  scales  and  teeth 
of  fishes. 

No.  21  is  generally  a  very  compact,  fragmentary  to  semi-crystalline  limestone, 
ringing  under  the  hammer,  and  marked  by  the  presence  of  numerous  bony  scales 
and  teeth  of  fishes.  At  Rock  Ford,  below  Major's  mill,  in  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  25,  township  19  north,  range  13  west,  this  bed  presents  a  very 
curious  structure,  having  been  apparently  coarsely  broken  up  by  some  violent 
action,  and  afterward  reconsolidated  by  the  deposition  of  a  cement  of  a  calca- 
reo-ferruginous  material,  mingled  with  some  sand.  I  have  been  unable  to  con- 
ceive of  any  circumstances  which  could  have  produced  just  such  a  bed  of  rock. 
It  has  been  named  to  me  as  the  result  of  volcanic  action,  but  that  is  impossible. 

Apparently  belonging  at  the  bottom  of  this  bed,  though  the  connection  could 
not  be  clearly  made  out,  is  a  bed  of  impure,  concretionary  limestone,  which  has 
occasionally  been  burned  for  lime  in  a  ravine  just  east  of  Finley  chapel,  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  18,  town  19  north,  range  12  west.  Only  a  small 
outcrop  is  here  exposed,  and  only  a  few  fragmentary  fossils  were  detected ;  but 
at  Garrett's  (formerly  Swank's)  old  mill,  on  the  Little  Vermilion,  in  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  14,  township  17  north,  range  12  west,  we  find  a  consid- 
erable outcrop  of  the  whole  of  this  bed,  except  the  peculiar  conglomerate  just 

—32 


250  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

mentioned,  which  is  evidently  local.  In  the  outcrop  of  about  two  hundred 
yards,  there  are  great  variations,  from  the  very  compact  clinking  stone,  with 
fish  remains  and  large  valves  of  Productus  costatus,  to  an  impure,  concretionary, 
almost  granular  limestone,  crowded  with  generally  quite  small  fossils.  Among 
these  we  find  Spirifer  cameratus,  S.  Uneatus,  Spiriferina  Kentuckensis,  Athyris  sub- 
tilita,  Terebraiula  bovidens,  Orthis  carbonaria,  Productus  longisplnus,  Waldheimia 
(OryptacantMa)  compacta,  Retzia  punctilifera?  Nucula,  Bellerophon,  Loxonema,  Ifa- 
ticopsis,  Fusulna  cylindirica,  etc. 

At  Rock  Ford,  as  previously  stated,  this  bed  was  found  to  be  about  ninety- 
five  feet  above  the  Danville  coal  seam,  No.  27  of  the  general  section.  But  this 
distance  is  far  from  constant.  My  estimate  of  it  on  the  Little  Vermilion,  where 
the  broken  condition  of  the  section  rendered  connected  measurements  impossi- 
ble, was  not  far  from  eighty  feet;  while,  in  the  shaft  at  Catlin,  as  I  am  informed 
by  Mr.  John  Faulds,  of  that  place,  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  of  sandy  and 
argillaceous  shale  were  passed  through  above  the  coal,  without  any  intercalated 
bed  of  limestone. 

This  coal-seam  appears  above  the  level  of  the  river,  near  the  east  line  of 
township  19  north,  range  13  west ;  but  owing  to  the  local  undulations  before 
mentioned,  it  dips,  rises  and  dips  again,  two  or  three  times  before  making  its 
final  emergence  a  short  distance  below  the  mouth  of  Middle  Fork.  Up  that 
stream,  also,  we  find  the  coal  in  or  not  far  below  the  bed  for  about  two  miles, 
to  near  the  north  line  of  section  8,  township  19  north,  range  12  west,  where  a 
sudden  dip  carries  it  below  the  level,  and  brings  in  the  upper  beds  to  the  top 
of  No.  16,  which,  on  Makemson's  branch,  in  the  west  half  of  section  5,  con- 
tains a  heavy  bed  of  very  solid  ferruginous  sandstone,  which  appears  well  fitted 
for  building  purposes,  though  no  quarry  has  been  opened.  Still  ascending  the 
stream,  we  find  the  rocks  rising,  somewhat;  but,  at  the  last  rock  exposure,  on 
Mr.  Cox's  land,  in  section  32,  township  20  north,  range  12  west,  the  coal  is 
probably  still  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  below  the  water  level.  Above  this  point, 
we  come  upon  the  heavy  beds  of  Drift  clay  and  gravel  which  cover  the  north 
part  of  the  county  so  deeply  as  to  render  the  exact  location  of  the  underlying 
rocks  impossible,  except  by  boring. 

The  so-called  "  Danville  "  seam  of  coal,  No.  27  of  the  section,  is  apparently 
equivalent  to  that  which  is  numbered  "  6  "  in  the  general  section  of  the  coals 
of  the  Illinois  valley  (see  111.  Rep.,  iii.,  p.  6) ;  but,  as  the  numbering  there 
adopted  will  not  accommodate  all  of  the  seams  which  have  a  well-defined  level 
in  the  field  now  under  consideration,  I  am  compelled  to  adopt,  provisionally, 
another  set  of  numbers  for  the  coals  of  the  Wabash  valley.  I  regret  that  the 
impossibility  of  determining,  at  the  present  time,  the  number  and  constancy  of 
the  seams  near  the  base  of  the  series,  east  of  the  Wabash,  has  thus  far  pre- 
vented the  adoption  of  a  numbering  which  may  be  considered  permanent.  The 


VERMILION    COUNTY.  251 

numbers  here  used,  however,  correspond,  at  least  so  far  as  concerns  the  seams 
outcropping  in  Vermilion  county,  with  those  adopted  by  Professor  Cox,  in  his 
reports  upon  the  eastern  counties  of  the  southern  part  of  the  State. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Danville,  coal  "No.  7,"  or  the  "Danville"  seam, 
outcrops  for  many  miles.  It  is  here  generally  covered  by  from  two  inches  to 
five  feet  of  a  soft  black  clay  shale,  rarely  a  little  slaty,  which  commonly  contains 
large  numbers  of  fossil  shells  replaced  by  pyrite.  This  mineral  is  also  fre- 
quently present  in  the  form  of  irregular  crystals  and  nodules  of  various  sizes. 
Small  nodules,  apparently  composed  of  phosphate  of  lime,  also  occur,  generally 
inclosing  fragments  offish  scales:  one  has  yielded  the  three-pronged  tail  of  a 
Dithyrocaris.  Among  the  most  characteristic  of  the  species  which  crowd  this 
bed,  are  Aviculopecten  rectalaterarea,  Entolium  amculatum,  Lima  retifera,  Solen- 
omya  radiata,  Sanguinolites  carbonarius,  Ufacrodon  tenuistriatum,  Pernopecten,  Myali- 
na  attenuate/,,  Leda  bellastriata,  Gervillia  longa,  Nucula  parva,  Astartella,  Chonetes 
mesoloba,  Discina  nitida,  Lingula  umbonata,  Productus  scabriculus,  P.  longispinus, 
Rhynchonella  Osagensis,  Dentalium  Meekianum,  Chiton,  Euomphalus  rugosus,  Bel- 
leropJion  carbonarius,  B.  Montfortianus,  Pleurotomaria  Grayvillensis,  P.  carbon- 
aria,  P.  Beckwithana,  Macrocheilus  isentricosus,  M.  Newberryi,  Orthoceras  Rushemis, 
Nautilus  4  sp.,  several  minute  species  of  Actseonina,  Polyphemopsis,  etc. 
Where  the  bed  is  at  its  greatest  thickness,  is  quite  it  solid,  and  the  fossils 
are  generally  readily  preserved  :  but,  in  the  thinner  portions,  it  is  very  fragile, 
and  the  superabundance  of  pyrite,  in  such  condition  as  to  be  readily  decompo- 
sed, renders  their  preservation  very  difficult.  Where  the  black  shale  is  thin, 
or  entirely  wanting,  the  overlying  drab  shale,  which  replaces  it,  becomes  fossilif- 
erous  in  turn,  though  elsewhere  generally  barren,  and  yields  many  of  the  same 
fossils,  though  rarely  in  good  condition.  This  bed  can  be  seen  at  the  upper 
end  of  Donlon  &  Chandler's  "  strippings,"  opposite  Danville,  below  the  railroad 
bridge,  and  also  along  Ellis's  branch,  near  Georgetown.  The  black  shale  is 
at  present  most  accessible,  in  its  fragile  pyritous  presentation,  at  Kelly's  strip- 
pings,  about  one  mile  northwest  of  the  court  house,  and  at  Short's  strippings, 
across  North  Fork,  opposite  Danville,  and  in  its  more  solid  condition,  along  the 
inclined  plane  at  the  old  Carbon  company's  mines,  near  Tilton. 

The  coal  is  very  variable,  both  in  character  and  thickness.  Near  Danville, 
along  Salt  Fork  above  that  place,  and  at  Lafferty's  bank,  on  Grape  creek,  it 
varies  from  five  feet  six  inches  to  seven  feet  three  inches  in  thickness.  About 
Georgetown,  the  only  place  in  the  county  where  it  has  been  opened,  south  of 
Lafferty's,  it  is  said  to  vary  from  three  to  four  feet;  at  the  few  points  where  it 
was  accessible,  I  could  find  no  thickness  over  three  and  a  half  feet.  It  is  said 
to  be  here  of  very  poor  quality,  and  the  mines  are  abandoned. 

This  seam  is  mined  at  the  Horse  Shoe  bend  of  the  Little  Vermilion,  five  miles 
above  Newport,  Indiana,  with  a  thickness  of  from  four  and  a  half  to  five  feet, 


252  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

and  a  heavy  limestone  roof.  Further  south,  we  find  its  equivalent  in  the  seam 
worked  near  the  Indiana  Furnace,  on  Brouillet's  creek  and  its  branches,  west 
of  Clinton,  Indiana,  and  also  at  the  base  of  the  hills  north  of  the  national  road 
opposite  Terre  Haute. 

Immediately  below  this  seam,  and  properly  forming  a  constituent  part  of  it, 
though  separated,  near  Danville,  by  a  variable  thickness  of  fire-clay,  is  the  so- 
called  "Blacksmith's  seam,"  of  from  ten  inches  to  two  feet  of  good  coal. 
Though  the  separation  increases  rapidly  as  we  ascend  Salt  Fork,  it  is  probably 
only  local,  and  the  partings  are  not  likely  to  attain  anywhere  the  dignity  of 
distinct  seams.  In  the  Catlin  shaft,  the  division  is  not  noticeable,  except  by 
the  more  ready  separation  of  a  few  inches  from  the  bottom  of  the  main  seam 
in  mining.  At  Georgetown,  and  southward,  no  such  division  is  noticed. 

Both  the  thickness  and  the  character  of  the  strata  between  this  and  the 
"  Grape  Creek"  seam,  No.  34,  vary  considerably.  Along  the  Big  Vermilion, 
especially  in  the  nighborhood  of  Danville,  we  have  generally  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  feet  of  fire  clay,  rarely  with  nodular  limestone  and  soft  shale,  the  latter 
partly  sandy,  underlaid  by  a  very  compact  layer  of  limestone,  partly  silicious, 
partly  nearly  pure,  which  contains  some  fragmentary  fossils,  but  nothing  charac- 
teristic. Below  this,  and  forming  the  roof  of  the  lower  coal,  No.  34,  we  have  a 
few  feet  of  a  dark  drab,  sometimes  black  shaly  clay,  in  which  no  fossils  were 
noticed.  Though  the  different  beds  vary  as  indicated  in  the  section,  the  whole 
thickness,  in  this  part  of  the  county,  rarely  exceeds  twenty  feet,  and  is  often 
not  more  than  sixteen  feet.  Along  Grape  creek,  just  below  the  distillery  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  section  33,  township  19  north,  range  11  west,  the 
lower  seam  is  covered  by  three  or  four  inches  of  soft  black  shale,  followed  by 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  of  drab  clay  shale,  becoming  sandy  above,  which, 
two  hundred  yards  below,  are  replaced  by  a  heavy  bank  of  sandy  shales  and 
shaly  sandstone,  with  some  solid  bands  of  quarry  rock.  I  was  unable  to  decide 
from  the  partially  covered  outcrop,  whether  this  was  simply  a  change  in  the 
character  of  the  layers,  or  whether  the  shale  had  been  removed,  and  the  sand- 
stone deposited  in  the  eroded  basin.  At  least  forty  or  fifty  feet  of  strata  are 
here  exposed  above  No.  34,  without  bringing  in  any  representative  of  No.  27. 
Along  the  creek,  above  the  distillery,  there  are  indications  of  a  low  anticlinal, 
with  confused  dips;  and  I  was  at  one  time  inclined  to  refer  to  the  "Grape 
Creek"  seam  proper,  the  coal  mined  at  and  near  Lafferty's,  which  here  shows 
characters  and  accompaniments  intermediate  between  those  of  coals  Nos.  G  and 
7 ;  but  the  weight  of  evidence  finally  turned  in  favor  of  No.  7. 

Along  the  Little  Vermilion,  below  Georgetown,  the  intervening  strata  have 
thickened  up  still  further.  It  would  be  difficult  to  measure  an  exact  section  ; 
but  the  following  is  approximately  correct : 


VERMILION    COUNTY.  253 

FEET. 

Coal,  No.  7 2  to    Si- 
Fire  clay 6 

Micaceous  shale,  some  fine  sandy,  with  few  nodules  of  argillaceous  limestone 10  "  15 

Sandy  shales  and  shaly  sandstones,  some  quarried 30  "  40 

Drab  clay  shales,  with  large  ironstones. ...  15  "  20 

"  "  "  small  ironstone  nodules  and  bands 30  "  40 

Fine  grained,  micaceous,  carbonaceous  clay  shales 10  "  15 

Fine  grained,  micaceous,  carbonaceous  clay  shales,  with  flat  nodules  and  thin  bands 

of  ironstone;  bottom  darker,  with  Leaia  and  fern  leaflets 12  "  15 

Coal,  No.  6 4 

This  outcrop  of  the  lower  seam  of  coal  is  reached  about  three  miles  below 
Georgetown,  near  the  northeast  corner  of  section  3,  township  17  north,  range 
11  west.  The  roof  shales  are  in  places  crowded  with  the  separated  compressed 
valves  of  Leaia  tricarinata,  accompanied  by  a  few  scattered  fragmentary  fronds 
of  ferns.  The  Leaia  was  found  abundant,  in  the  same  position,  upon  Yankee 
branch,  in  section  14,  of  the  same  township.  It  is  also  found  uncompressed, 
but  in  less  abundance,  in  some  of  the  small  ironstone  nodules  of  the  overlying 
beds,  where  it  accompanies  considerable  numbers  of  ferns,  among  which  are 
found  N^uropteris  Mrsuta,  .ZV.  rarinervis,  If.  vermicular  is,  Pecopteris  Bueklandi  /,  P. 
oreopteridius,  P.  vittosa,  P.  Miltoni?,  Odontopteris  Schlotheimi,  together  with 
Stigmaria,  ficoides,  Sigillaria  Brardii,  8.  monostigma,  Lepidophyllum  maju/t, 
Lepidodendron  rugjsum,  Lepidostrobus  variabilis,  Calamites  approximatus,  Aste- 
rophyllites  and  Equisetites  ?  One  nearly  perfect  insect  found  here,  probably 
belonging  to  the  genus  Miamia,  is  in  the  collection  of  Dr.  J.  C.  Winslow,  of 
Danville.  This  same  bed  of  nodules,  containing  the  same  set  of  fossils,  ex- 
cepting that  the  Leaia  has  not  been  noticed  ;  outcrops  on  the  bank  of  the  Wa- 
bash  at  Durkee's  ferry,  about  six  miles  above  Terre  Haute.  In  the  southern 
part  of  this  range,  the  roof  of  the  coal  is  a  black,  bituminous  shale,  often  slaty, 
three  or  four  feet  thick,  accompanied  by  huge  concretions  of  pyritous  ironstone. 

No.  34  is  apparently  the  equivalent  of  coal  No.  5,  of  the  Illinois  Valley  sec- 
tion. Along  the  Wabash  valley,  its  outcrop  is  nearly  continuous  from  above 
Danville  to  where  it  dips  under  the  river  between  Clinton  and  Durkee's  Ferry. 
Its  thickness  is  variable  :  about  Danville,  sometimes  less  than  four  feet ;  two 
or  three  miles  farther  south,  five  to  six  feet ;  on  Grape  creek  and  its  branches, 
five  to  seven  feet;  on  the  Little  Vermilion,  near  Georgetown,  four  feet;  at  the 
Horse  Shoe,  above  Newport,  five  to  seven  feet;  near  Clinton,  five  to  six  feet. 
It  is  generally  a  free  burning  coal,  much  freer  from  sulphur  than  the  upper 
seam,  and  better  liked  for  domestic  use.  Along  Grape  creek,  there  is  a  thin 
clay  parting  about  four  feet  from  the  top  of  the  seam,  analagous  to  that  in  the 
upper  seam.  I  cannot  say  whether  this  is  constant  further  north  ;  further 
south,  it  is  generally  present  throughout  the  outcrop.  In  the  northern  part 
of  its  outcrop,  this  seam  is  capped  by  from  six  to  ten  inches  of  cannel;  but  this 
character  is  not  common. 


254  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  fire  clay,  No.  35,  is,  in  some  places,  very  largely  developed,  as  on  Tros- 
per  branch,  about  four  miles  northeast  of  Georgetown,  where,  below  the  open- 
ing of  the  coal  seam,  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  22,  township  18  north, 
range  11  west,  I  measured  fifteen  feet  of  clay  in  several  alternating  bands, 
with  from  three  to  four  feet  of  nodular,  argillaceous  limestone,  and  was  not 
certain  that  I  had  then  reached  the  bottom  of  the  bed,  since  the  outcrop  below 
was  not  exposed.  The  clay  is  here  much  variegated  with  streaks,  blotches 
and  beds  of  light  blue,  dark  drab3  dark  brick-red,  crimson  and  purplish  tints, 
the  red  portions  furnishing  the  boys  with  an  unlimited  supply  of  "  keel."  The 
accompanying  nodular  bands  of  limestone  occasionally  contain  fragments  of  fos- 
sils, but  nothing  characteristic.  Possibly,  some  of  the  lower  of  these  bands 
may  be  the  practical  equivalent, of  the  fossiliferous  limestones  at  the  Slip-bank, 
below  the  Horse  Shoe  of  the  Little  Vermilion,  which,  however,  lie  some  thirty 
feet  below  the  coal  seam,  the  intervening  beds  being  mainly  fire  clay  and  shales, 
with  some  sand,  and  a  few  ironstones.  The  nodular  limestones  accompanying 
the  fire  clay  of  this  seam,  at  Pettys's  ford  of  the  Little  Vermilion,  about  four 
miles  below  Georgetown,  have  recently  been  found  to  contain  considerable 
numbers  of  small  land  snails  of  two  species,  one  apparently  identical  with  the 
Pupa  vetusta  of  the  Nova  Scotia  Coal  Measures,  and  the  other,  possibly  a  Zo- 
nites,  but  smooth. 

The  beds  numbered  33  in  the  section,  are  exceedingly  variable.  The  upper 
layers,  which  are  generally  rather  soft,  contain,  near  and  opposite  Danville, 
from  one  to  five  bands  of  a  very  hard,  calcareous  sandstone  or  silicious  lime- 
stone, varying  from  six  to  eighteen  inches  in  thickness.  Where  exposed  to 
the  weather,  these  are  very  hard  and  tough,  but  are  softer  below  the  surface. 
Perhaps  fifteen  feet  below  the  level  of  the  floor  of  the  coal,  we  find,  at  Leon- 
ard's quarry,  a  mile  or  so  below  Danville,  a  thick  bed  of  gray,  highly  ferrugi- 
nous sandstone,  which  is  in  much  favor  as  a  building  stone.  The  bed  ig  not 
constant,  running  into  sandy  shale  within  a  short  distance.  The  lower  beds 
of  this  member  of  the  series  are  all  soft  shales,  of  no  practical  value,  and  are 
entirely  destitute  of  fossils.  For  some  distance  below  Danville,  they  form  a 
set  of  high  bluffs,  reaching  seventy  or  eighty  feet  at  least. 

After  passing  below  Kyger's  mill,  near  the  mouth  of  Grape  creek,  the  black 
limestone  and  shales  of  Nos.  35  and  36,  come  above  the  water,  and  continue  to 
form  the  prominent  feature  of  the  river  banks  to  below  the  State  line.  They 
deserve  notice  only  as  indicating  the  level  of  coal  No.  5,  which  is  here  wanting, 
though  it  begins  to  make  its  appearance  at  White's  mill,  on  the  Little  Ver- 
milion, four  miles  above  Newport,  with  a  thickness  of  four  inches,  and  contin- 
ues along  the  outcrop  southward,  with  a  general  thickness  of  ten  or  eleven 
inches,  nearly  to  Clinton,  where  it  dips  below  the  river  level.  At  Hawley  and 
Hett's  bank,  on  Norton's  creek,  about  four  miles  above  Clinton,  it  is  locally 


VERMILION    COUNTY.  255 

thickened  up  to  from  twenty  inches  to  two  feet.  The  overlying  shales,  through 
all  the  outcrop,  are  generally  quite  full  of  the  conical,  bony  teeth,  or  dermal 
scales  of  Petrodus  occidentalis,  constantly  accompanied  by  the  long,  slightly 
curved,  and  fringed  fin-spine,  and  the  small  rhomboidal  scales  which  there  is 
every  reason  for  referring  to  the  same  species.  The  accompanying  black  fer- 
ruginous limestone  commonly  contains  more  or  less  of  the  same  fish  remains, 
accompanied  by  CardiomorpJia  Missouriensis. 

The  beds  of  the  lower  part  of  the  section  show  no  outcrop  within  this  county, 
but  as  they  will  very  probably  be  met  with  in  any  moderately  deep  borings 
which  may  be  made  near  the  State  line,  east  and  northeast  of  Danville,  it  was 
thought  best  to  complete  the  section  as  far  as  possible  ;  and  some  general  state- 
ments regarding  these  lower  beds  may  not  be  out  of  place  here. 

No.  43  is  a  valuable  bed  of  low  grade  ironstone.  No.  44  generally  contains 
a  heavy  band  of  tolerably  compact  sandstone,  such  as  forms  the  Hanging  Rock 
on  the  Big  Vermilion,  a  few  miles  below  the  State  line.  No.  46  commonly 
presents  two  or  three,  and  sometimes  four  or  five  partings  of  coal,  separated  by 
shale  and  fire  clay,  some  of  which  are  occasionally  thick  enough  to  work  profit- 
ably. No.  49  is  too  thin  a  seam  to  command  attention,  until  nearly  the  entire 
supply  of  the  tolerably  thick  seam  in  the  neighborhood  has  been  used  up.  It 
outcrops  along  the  Big  Vermilion  below  Eugene.  No.  53  is  a  thick  scam  of 
semi-block  coal,  tolerably  well  fitted  for  smelting  iron  in  the  raw  state.  Two 
or  three  seams  of  coal  occur  below  this,  at  Thome's  ferry,  just  below  the  mouth 
of  the  Big  Vermilion;  but,  as  their  extent  and  regularity  are  unknown,  and 
they  are  not  represented  at  the  point  where  the  bore  of  the  salt  well  was  put 
down,  it  was  thought  best  to  omit  them  from  the  general  section.  They  prob- 
ably represent  partings  of  coal  No.  1.  Below  all  these  coals,  but  not  repre- 
sented in  the  section,  from  lack  of  certain  connections,  is  the  heavy  bed  of  lime- 
stone, with  underlying  shales,  at  Perrysville,  Ind.  These  beds  are  full  of  fos- 
sils, and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  among  them  are  some  of  very  wide  dis- 
tribution, such  as  Athyris  subtilita,  Petrodus  occidentalis,  and  Aviculopccten  rec- 
talatcrarea,  the  latter  of  which  was  formerly  considered  especially  character- 
istic of  one  seam,  but  which  presents  itself  to  the  explorer  in  every  one  of  the 
black  shales  of  the  general  section,  from  this  basal  bed  to  No.  4  of  the  section. 

Economical      Geology, 

Coal. — After  the  fertile  prairie  soil,  which  has  been  already  spoken  of,  this 
mineral  naturally  occupies  the  first  place  in  an  enumeration  of  the  natural  re- 
sources of  Vermilion  county.  Two  heavy  seams  underlie  the  larger  part  of 
the  southern  half  of  the  county,  both  of  which  could  be  worked,  at  depths 
varying  from  nothing  up  to  probably  nowhere  more  than  three  hundred  and  fifty 


256  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

feet,  in  all  that  portion  of  the  county  west  of  a  line  passing  north  and  south 
through  Danville,  and  south  of  the  north  line  of  township  19  north,  with  the 
exception  of  about  one  section  in  the  northwest  corner  of  township  19  north, 
range  11  west.  Both  seams  are  constantly  present  along  the  entire  outcrop, 
and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  both  will  be  found  of  workable  thickness  at 
all  points  where  their  level  shall  be  reached  in  the  county. 

The  upper  seam  is  largely  worked  at  and  near  Danville,  both  in  shafts  and 
sbrippings.  At  this  point  it  has  more  than  twice  the  thickness  of  the  lower 
seam,  and  is  accordingly  made  a  source  of  supply,  although  of  inferior  quality. 
This  fact,  together  with  the  carelessness  of  the  miners,  in  not  duly  separating 
the  slaty  and  pyritous  portions  of  the  seam  from  the  good  coal,  has  tended  to 
impair  the  reputation  of  the  coal  of  this  county.  As  a  fair  estimate  of  the 
character  and  value  of  the  coal,  I  append  the  following  letter  from  Maj.  Joseph 
Kirkland,  now  of  Chicago,  who  has  owned  and  worked  coal  mines  in  this  re- 
gion for  many  years : 

307  HURON  STREET,  CHICAGO,  Dec.  25th,  1858. 

PROF.  FRANK  H.  BRADLEY,  Assistant  Geologist  of  Illinois  : 

MY  DEAR  SIR:  The  coal  of  the  main  Danville  seam  is  a  strong,  fat,  soft,  caking  coal  ;  aver- 
ages six  feet  thick,  lies  nearly  level,  dipping  say  ten  feet  per  mile  toward  the  southwest ;  is 
hardest  and  most  impure  in  its  lowest  stratum  of  eight  inches  or  so ;  purest  and  best  in  the 
"  blacksmith  coal "  stratum,  one  and  a  half  to  two  feet  next  above,  and  more  and  more  friable 
as  you  near  the  roof.  The  seam  contains  probably  quite  as  much  sulphur  as  other  Illinois  coals, 
but  it  is  in  masses,  thick  layers  or  nodules,  easily  separated  and  thrown  out,  and  therefore  less 
of  a  detriment  in  use  than  would  be  a  smaller  proportion  more  intimately  associated  with  the 
body  of  the  coal.  The  roof  is  generally  not  good  in  the  workings  so  far  explored.  The  coal 
at  all  the  mines  (say  six  miles  apart  at  farthest)  is  nearly  equal  in  quality,  though  harder  and 
therefore  better  in  proportion  to  its  distance  from  surface  and  outcrop.  Its  money  value  in 
general  markets  is  about  ten  per  cent,  less  than  the  best  Illinois  coal;  and  say  fifty  per  cent, 
less  than  the  best  bituminous  coal  mined  in  the  country. 

There  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  existence  of  two  seams  of  coal  at  and  near  our  workings.  The 
main  one  is  that  we  are  working,  and  is  that  I  have  described.  The  second  is  from  one  foot 
to  two  or  more  in  thickness,  and  is  about  sixteen  feet  below  the  upper,  at  our  mine.  You  can 
see  it  at  many  bluff  exposures  on  the  Vermilion ;  also,  in  the  well  which  supplies  our  mine  en- 
gine with  water.  The  mooted  point  is  the  existence  of  a  third  seam  reported,  at  say  eighty  feet 
below  the  upper  seam,  by  the  traditions  of  the  old  salt  works  borings ;  which  legends  also  re- 
port it  to  be  sixteen  feet  in  thickness. 

Some  Geologists  (Col.  J.  W.  Foster,  of  Chicago,  for  example,)  have  concluded  that  there  is 
such  a  seam,  and  that  it  is  identical  with  the  "  Grape  Creek  "  coal,  a  development  six  miles 
or  so  south  of  Danville,  of  a  superior  quality  of  coal.  The  Chicago  and  Carbon  Coal  compony 
sunk  an  experimental  well  (under  my  superintendence),  starting  in  the  ravine  at  a  point  about 
twenty  feet  below  the  working  scam  of  coal  (below  the  second  seam)  and  prosecuted  down 
some  eighty  feet,  finding  no  coal ;  nothing  but  a  continuation  of  the  pale,  sandy  shale,  hard 
while  in  loco,  but  disintegrating  on  exposure. 

From  the  result  of  my  observations  and  experience,  and  the  absence  of  any  known  outcrop, 
northeast  of  the  outcrop  of  the  main  seam  of  Danville  coal,  I  am  disposed  to  conclude  that 


VERMILION     COUNTY.  257 

there  is  no  such  seam  as  the  "third  seam,"  reported  from  the  "saltworks"  borings;  or,  if 
any  seam  exists  at  or  near  the  locality  and  depth  described,  it  is  the  thin  "second  seam  "  (2) 
I  have  spoken  of,  thickened  up  and  become  more  distant  from  the  main  seam  in  the  six  miles 
intervening  distance.  At  one  place  (just  at  the  low  water  level  of  the  Vermilion)  on  the 
north  (left)  bank  of  the  "Salt  Fork"  of  the  Vermilion,  about  two  miles  above  Danville,  that 
"  second  seam  "  shows  a  well  defined  stratum  of  "  block  "  or  "  cannel  "  coal.  I  think  I  called 
your  attention  to  this  part  of  this  seam. 

The  main  defect  of  the  Danville  coal  is  its  friability  and  tendency  to  disintegrate  or  "slack" 
on  exposure.  It  is  a  strong  steam  coal,  and  answers  a  very  good  purpose  for  all  domestic 
uses.  Yours  truly, 

JOSEPH  KIRKLAND. 

Of  analyses  of  coal  from  different  openings  in  this  seam,  made  some  years 
ago.  and  published  in  1858  by  Dr.  Norwood,  in  his  Report  on  Illinois  Coals,  I 
give  the  following  summary  : 

Specific  gravity. 1.213  to  1.2833 

Average..... 1.2563 

Moisture 3.4  to    8.6 

Average 7.13 

Volatile  gases 40.1  to  42.3 

Average 41.85 

Carbon  in  coke. 40.5  to  48.96 

Average 45.96 

Carbon  in  coal 49.8  to  55.5 

Average 51.576 

Ash 2  to  16 

Average 7.25 

Gray,  bluish  gray,  and  grayish  white 

The  principal  openings  from  which  the  coal  of  this  seam  is  now  shipped,  are 
the  drifts  of  Messrs.  Chandler  &Donlon,  and  Kirkland  Bros.,  on  the  bank  of 
the  Big  Vermilion,  opposite  Danville,  and  the  several  shafts  along  the  T.  W. 
&  W.  B.  R.,  as  far  west  as  Catlin.  The  mines  of  the  Carbon  Coal  company* 
about  two  miles  above  Danville,  along  the  river,  were  formerly  extensively 
worked,  and  shipped  their  coal  by  a  long  branch  track;  but  they  are  now  de- 
serted. 

All  the  openings  along  the  North  Fork  and  its  branches  are  on  this  seam,  the 
lower  seam  being  in  all  cases,  apparently,  thin  and  unprofitable.  The  last  out- 
crop seen  in  ascending  this  fork  is  in  the  banks  above  Baldwin's  old  mill,  in 
section  31,  township  20  north,  range  11  west,  where  the  lower  seam  shows  at 
the  top  of  the  bluff,  bul  is  apparently  not  worth  working.  It  is  worked,  how- 
ever, with  a  thickness  of  about  four  feet,  at  Leonard's  mine,  below  the  city,  the 
last  show  of  either  seam  in  going  eastward. 

(2)  The  solution  of  this  problem  is  found  in  my  remarks  upon  the  two  seams  on  the  pre- 
vious pages.  F.  H.  B. 
—33 


258  GEOLOGY  OP   ILLINOIS. 

The  openings  along  Salt  Fork,  as  far  as  the  west  line  of  township  19  north, 
range  12  west,  are  all  in  the  upper  seam,  though,  for  two  or  three  miles  above 
Danville,  the  lower  seam  is  exposed  in  every  bluif,  arid  in  some  cases  with  a 
thickness  of  four  feet  or  more.  Up  Middle  Fork,  the  upper  seam  has  never 
been  fairly  opened,  though  small  quantities  of  coal  have  at  times  been  taken 
from  the  bed  of  the  stream  for  local  use,  and  it  could  be  mined  at  about  that 
level  as  far  north  as  the  north  line  of  section  8,  township  19  north,  range  12 
west ;  but  the  sudden  dip  previously  mentioned  here,  carries  it  downward  to 
probably  one  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  stream,  and  it  does  not  again 
appear  in  going  northward. 

The  lower  or  "Grape  creek"  seam  is  comparatively  thin  at  Danville,  in 
some  cases  not  exceeding  three  feet*,  and  accordingly  has  not  been  worked  suf- 
ficiently to  ascertain  its  quality  with  certainty;  but,  on  Grape  creek,  it  has 
been  worked  by  several  drifts  and  etrippings,  with  a  thickness  of  from  five  to 
seven  feet,  and  furnishes  a  superior  coal.  The  portion  below  the  clay  parting 
would  in  most  cases  probably  prove  satisfactory,  if  used  in  the  raw  state  for 
smelting  iron.  If  nearer  to  railroad  transportation,  these  mines  might  fairly 
compete  with  any  in  the  State.  The  coal  still  contains  small  portions  of  pyrite, 
and  here,  as  elsewhere,  it  appeared  to  me  that  this  mineral  became  more  abund- 
ant as  the  seam  became  thicker.  At  Blakeney's  mine,  on  Possum  Hollow,  a 
branch  of  the  Grape  creek  valley — the  only  mine  in  all  this  region  where  it  is 
done — T  found  that  care  was  taken  to  separate  the  pure  from  the  impure  benches 
of  the  scam,  a  difference  of  two  cents  per  bushel  being  made  in  the  price.  As 
n  consequence,  much  local  trade  was  centering  here,  and  I  heard  it  spoken  of  in 
distant  parts  of  the  county.  The  following  is  a  detailed  section  of  the  seam  at 
this  point : 

FEET.  IN. 

Micaceous  clay  shale 8  to  1 0 

Pyritous  coal 2         1 

Pure  coal 8 

Pyritous  coal  1         6 

Soft  drab  shaly  clay J 

Pure  coal 1 

Pyritous  coal 1          9 

Fire-clay,  with  thin  bands  of  nodular  limestone 8 

Along  the  Little  Vermilion  and  its  branches,  from  about  four  miles  below 
Georgetown  to  below  the  State  line,  there  are  frequent  openings  of  this  seam 
for  local  supply,  but  no  extensive  workings.  The  coal  appeared  good.  If  rail- 
road facilities  could  be  supplied  to  this  part  of  the  county,  these  mines  would  at 
once  become  of  great  value. 


*1  have  not  seen  it  where  t>o  thin  as  stated  by  Major  Kirkland. 


VERMILION    COUNTY.  259 

Two  analyses  of  coals  from  this  seani,  given  in  the  aforesaid  report,  arc  as 
follows : 

Specific  gravity 1.811  and  1.3127 

Moisture 9.          "     6.4 

Volatile  gases   34.5        "  39.17 

Carbon  in  coke  50.          "  48.93 

Carbon  in  coal  58.8        "  53. 

Ash,  (white) 6.5        "     5.5 

This  seam  has  also  been  opened  along  Trosper  branch,  on  J.  Ogden's  land? 
in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  22,  township  18  north,  range  11  west, 
about  three  miles  northeast  of  Georgetown.  At  the  time  of  my  visit,  the 
openings  had  caved  in,  so  as  to  prevent  examination;  and  I  was  informed  (hat 
the  coal  here  contained  too  much  pyrite  to  be  valuable. 

The  only  other  coal  openings  in  the  county  are  the  small  stripping;*  of  the 
thin  seams  Nos.  5  and  11  of  the  county  section,  which  I  have  numbered  pro- 
visionally as  coals  No.  10?  and  No.  11  ?,  and  whose  character  and  distribution 
have  been  sufficiently  described  in  the  general  description  of  the  section.  Small 
quantities  of  coal  of  very  fair  quality  can  be  obtained  here  for  local  use  ;  but 
the  seams  are  not  thick  enough  to  make  them  of  any  economical  importance. 

Coal  No.  8  (probably  corresponding  to  No.  7  of  the  Illinois  valley  section — 
see  111.  Rep.,  Vol.  iii.,  p.  5,)  does  not  appear  at  its  proper  level,  in  the  section 
of  the  rocks  of  this  county,  viz:  under  the  limestone,  No.  21  of  the  section. 
Its  only  appearance  in  all  this  region  is  at  the  Horse  Shoe  bend  of  the  Little 
Vermilion,  in  the  west  half  of  section  20,  township  17  north,  range  10  west, 
about  a  mile  east  of  the  State  line,  where  it  comes  in  suddenly,  with  a  thick- 
ness of  from  three  to  four  feet,  and  a  reported  roof  of  black  slaty  shale.  It 
does  not  continue  to  the  southward,  and  there  is  no  reason  to  expect  that  it 
will  be  found  sufficiently  developed  to  furnish  any  considerable  amount  of  coal 
within  the  limits  of  Vermilion  county,  though  small  patches  may  be  found  in 
the  regio.i  ju.st  west  of  the  Horse  Shoe. 

Through  the  region  between  the  Big  and  Little  Vermilions,  no  coal  scams 
have  been  developed;  but  there  is  every  reason  for  believing  that  both  "No. 
7"  and  "No.  6"  are  in  place  under  all  the  western  portion  of  this  area,  except 
on  the  slopes  toward  and  near  the  Little  Vermilion,  where  "  No.  7  "  can  only 
be  looked  for  high  in  the  bluffs. 

Where  the  State  line  crosses  the  Big  Vermilion,  the  "  Eugene"  or  "  Hang- 
ing Rock"  seam,  No.  4G  of  the  county  section,  is  probably  about  fifty  feet  be- 
low the  water-level,  and,  judging  from  the  general  dip  of  the  rocks,  should 
come  to  the  surface,  in  going  north,  before  we  reach  the  railroad  at  "  Illiana," 
or  State  Line  station.  In  this  region,  however,  the  surface  is  unbroken,  and 
no  wells  or  borings  have  exposed  the  rock,  the  Alluvium  and  Drift  being  appa- 
rently rather  deep.  The  "Hanging  Rock  "  seam,  however,  even  if  found  here, 


260  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

would  not  probably  be  thick  enough  to  bo  worked  with  profit,  in  competition 
with  the  Danville  mines.  There  is  reason,  however,  for  supposing  that  No.  53 
of  the  section  may  be  found  in  this  neighborhood,  at  no  very  great  depth,  and 
this,  if  found,  would  be  likely  to  yield  considerable  supplies  of  superior  coal. 
No  outcrops  were  found  which  would  give  any  certain  data  for  locating  it;  but 
a  boring  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  would  fully  test  the  matter. 

From  somewhere  in  this  neighborhood,  the  outcrops  of  the  various  strata 
seem  to  turn  more  northwestward ;  but  shortly  after  passing  down  the  south 
line  of  township  20,  on  all  the  branches  of  the  Big  Vermilion,  we  find  the 
Drift  deposits  beginning  to  thicken  so  rapidly  as  to  conceal  all  outcrops  farther 
north ;  so  that  we  are  left  to  conjecture  for  the  possibilities  of  that  part  of  the 
county.  Furthermore,  there  are  no  outcrops  in  Iroquois  county  to  give  us  any 
hints ;  and  the  knowledge  of  the  beds  to  the  westward  is  too  limited  to  furnish 
any  certain  data.  From  what  we  know,  however,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
the  "Danville,"  or  at  least  the  "  Grape  creek,"  seam  could  be  found  as  far 
north  as  Higginsville,  at  a  depth  of  perhaps  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  while 
the  lower  seams  might  be  found  at  Rossville,  at  not  over  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet.  But,  with  the  Chicago  and  Danville  railroad  bringing  coal  from  the  Dan- 
ville mines  at  low  rates,  it  would  be  long  before  mines  could  be  profitably  opened 
at  that  depth,  if  the  presence  of  the  coal  were  ascertained.  In  the  northwest 
part  of  the  county,  near  and  beyond  Marysville,  it  would  probably  pay  some 
enterprising  man  to  bore  for  coal,  unless  the  heavy  bed  of  quicksand  under  the 
boulder  clay,  which  has  caused  trouble  in  Champaign  county,  should  be  met 
with.  Its  undoubted  presence  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county — a  well 
at  Dallas  encountered  it  at  eighty-nine  feet — appears  to  be  the  only  reason  to 
hesitate  about  sinking  shafts  there  for  mining  either  "  No.  7"  or  "  No.  6," 
both  of  which  seams  probably  underlie  the  whole  of  that  part  of  the  county. 

An  average  thickness  of  eight  feet  of  workable  coal  appears  to  be  a  suffi- 
ciently low  estimate  of  the  two  principal  seams,  over  their  indicated  area, 
which  will  include  about  three  hundred  square  miles.  At  the  usual  estimate 
of  one  million  tons  per  square  mile  for  each  foot  of  thickness,  this  would  give 
2,400,000,000  tons  of  available  coal  supply.  With  the  probabilities  above 
stated,  as  to  the  existence  of  workable  seams  outside  of  the  limits  here  calcula. 
ted  for,  it  would  be  a  very  moderate  estimate  to  increase  these  figures  to  3,000,- 
000,000  tons,  which,  at  the  average  price  at  the  mine  of  $1.50  per  ton,  would 
yield  to  the  county  $4,500,000,000 ;  and  by  rise  in  value,  the  actual  receipts 
will  probably  much  exceed  this. 

The  present  shipment  and  consumption  of  coal,  from  all  the  mines  of  the 
county,  is  estimated  by  Col.  W.  P.  Chandler,  of  Danville,  at  about  75,000  tons 
per  annum.  At  that  rate,  the  supply  will  last  only  4,000  years;  and  the  con- 
sumption is  increasing.  Alas !  for  our  descendants. 


VERMILION   COUNTY.  261 

As  already  stated,  the  "  Grape  creek"  scam,  "  No.  6,"  has,  in  some  parts  of 
the  county,  a  cap  of  a  few  inches  of  cannel.  Loose  fragments  of  this  have 
caused  some  profitless  explorations  for  a  seam  of  that  material. 

Lime. — All  the  lime  now  used  in  this  county  is  brought  from  a  distance, 
principally  from  Indiana.  Along  the  railroads,  there  is  no  bed  of  limestone 
in  the  county ;  but  at  Big  Spring,  less  than  two  miles  from  Fairmount 
station,  there  is  an  abundant  supply  of  limestone,  the  larger  part  of  which  is 
suited  for  making  lime.  Small  quantities  have  been  burned  here,  in  former 
years.  At  this  point,  it  is  true,  there  is  no  wood  for  fuel,  but  a  shaft  not  over 
three  hundred  feet  deep  would  furnish  an  abundant  supply  of  coal  for  this  pur- 
pose, while  at  the  same  time  supplying  a  stretch  of  country  which  will  soon  fur- 
nish a  large  market  for  fuel.  This  is  an  especially  favorable  point  for  a  shaft, 
having  rock  all  the  way  from  the  surface,  and  thus  avoiding  the  heavy  bed  of 
quicksand  which  would  probably  make  trouble  farther  to  the  southward  and 
westward.  A  little  enterprise  would  make  Fairmount  the  center  of  a  large 
trade  in  both  coal  and  lime.  Several  kilns  have  been  burned  along  the  upper 
course  of  the  Salt  Fork,  from  the  drifted  fragments  of  this  bed. 

The  large  drifted  masses  of  Silurian  (?)  limestone  which  are  quite  numerous 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Mann's  chapel  and  Rossville,  have  furnished,  and  will 
still  furnish,  small  quantities  of  lime  for  local  use.  Small  supplies  could  also 
be  obtained  from  the  outcrops  of  No.  21  of  the  county  section,  at  and  near 
Rock  Ford  on  ^Salt  Fork,  and  at  Swank's  mill  on  the  Little  Vermilion.  The 
deposits  of  tufa  from  the  springs  near  Danville,  are  not  sufficient  in  quantity 
to  be  of  any  value. 

Bmldinrj  Material. — Coal-measure  sandstones  are  proverbially  unreliable  as 
building  material;  still,  at  three  points  in  this  county,  considerable  quantities 
of  apparently  solid  sandstone  can  be  obtained.  Danville  is  at  present  supplied, 
for  foundations  and  to  a  small  extent  for  superstructures,  from  Leonard's  quar- 
ry, about  a  mile  below  the  city,  on  the  river  bank.  The  best  stone  is  of  a 
rather  coarse  grain,  somewhat  vesicular,  and  stained  in  spots  with  oxyd  of  iron. 
It  appears  to  be  a  permanent  stone.  The  beds  do  not  continue  solid  through 
neighboring  portions  of  the  outcrop,  and  the  supply  of  stone  is  therefore  preca- 
rious. The  following  is  a  section  of  the  quarry,  as  it  appeared  in  May,  1868 : 

FEET.    IN. 

Olive  shale,  with  purple  streaks 8 

Coal 1 

Purplish  shale 5       4 

Gray,  sandy  shales 2 

Gray  sandstone 16  to  18 

Gray  and  bluish  shales •  •  •  • .  15 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  not  far  from  the  same  level,  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  ravine  of  the  branch  which  flows  through  Donlon  &  Chandler's 


262  GEOLOGY    OF    ILLINOIS. 

strippings,  I  observed  four  or  five  thin,  irregular  bands  of  a  very  compact, 
highly  calcareous  sandstone,  of  very  irregular  fracture,  which  are  said  to  have 
furnished  some  stone  for  the  piers  of  the  T.  W.  &  W.  11.  R  bridge.  They  ap- 
pear solid  in  the  outcrop,  but  the  quantity  is  small,  and  the  irregular  fracture 
would  interfere  with  ready  working. 

On  Makemson's  branch,  as  before  mentioned,  there  are  some  heavy  beds  of 
ferruginous  sandstone,  which  appear  better  fitted  for  resisting  the  action  of  the 
weather  than  any  other  stone  in  the  county.  They  are  underlaid  by  softer 
bads,  which  have  been  washed  away  by  the  stream,  so  as  to  leave  the  upper 
beds  projecting  many  feet  in  some  cases.  They  may  be  found  somewhat  soft 
in  quarrying,  but  will  harden  upon  exposure,  and  make  a  permanent  stone,  un- 
less they  are  quarried  so  late  in  the  season  as  to  freeze  before  the  quarry  water 
is  dried  out  of  them. 

Along  Salt  Fork,  below  Gonkeytown,  a  layer  near  the  bottom  of  No.  2  of  the 
county  section,  has  yielded  small  quantities  of  very  solid,  calcareous  sandstone, 
apparently  permanent.  Above  this  point,  stone  1ms  been  quarried  at  several 
places.  Davis's  quarry,  in  section  81,  township  19  north,  range  13  west,  is  the 
only  one  now  open.  The  stone  is  soft  in  the  qu  irry,  but  is  said  to  become  very 
hard  and  durable  upon  exposure,  in  consequence  of  the  cementing  quality  of  a 
small  quantity  of  oxyd  of  iron. 

The  limestone  near  Fairmount,  so  far  as  now  exposed,  is  too  shaky  to  be 
suitable  for  building.  The  upper  layers  of  this  bed,  in  Edgar  county,  have 
furnished  some  good  stone  for  rough  uses,  and  possibly  corresponding  beds  may 
yet  be  developed  here,  especially  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  outcrop. 

The  drifted  masses  of  Silurian  limestone  in  the  north  part  of  the  county,  are 
still  sufficiently  numerous  to  be  mentioned  as  a  source  of  building  stone  for 
that  region. 

The  clay  subsoil  throughout  the  timber,  w4R  furnish  abundant  material  for 
brick  making,  and  small  quantities  are  manufactured  at  several  points.  The 
yard  of  Perry  Fairchild,  at  Danville,  is  especially  worthy  of  mention.  It  fur- 
nishes from  three  to  four  millions  of  brick  per  annum. 

Fire  Cloy. — As  already  stated,  this  article  exists  in  very  la-'ge  quantities 
below  both  of  the  principal  coal  beds,  especially  the  lower  one.  The  greatest 
development  noticed  is  on  J.  Ogden's  land,  about  three  miles  northeast  of 
Georgetown.  No  use  has  been  made  of  it,  thus  far;  but  it  is  well  deserving 
of  attention. 

Iron  Ore. — Along  the  banks  of  the  Little  Vermilion,  for  some  miles  below 
Georgetown,  large  quantities  of  nodular  carbonate  of  iron  are  scattered  and 
piled.  The  quality  of  the  ore  is  not  constant;  but  I  judge  that  the  larger 
part  of  it  would  yield  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  per  cent,  of  metal.  The 
layers  are  so  scattered  in  the  shale,  ajid  so  irregular  in  thickness,  that  no  proper 


VERMILION    COUNTY.  263 

estimate  of  the  quantity  can  be  made;  but,  judging  by  the  eye,  there  must  be 
nearly  or  quite  as  much  ore  here  as  at  the  locality  on  Brouillet's  creek,  in  Ed- 
gar county,  which  for  years  furnished  an  abundant  supply  of  ore  for  the  Indi- 
ana furnace,  without  any  signs  of  piving  out.  On  the  Big  Vermilion  and  its 
branches,  just  below  the  State  line,  I  found  a  pretty  constant  band  of  a  calca- 
reous carbonate  of  iron,  varying  from  one  and  a  half  to  three  feet  in  thickness, 
which  may,  at  some  points  near  Browntown,  outcrop  within  the  limits  of  the 
county.  Upon  the  whole,  there  appears  to  be  enough  ore  to  warrant  the  erec- 
tion of  an  iron  furnace  somewhere  in  this  region,  \vhenevera  railroad  shall  fur- 
nish the  requisite  transportation. 

Zinc  Lh-ntle  has  been  found  in  small  quantities  in  some  of  the  ironstone  nod- 
ules of  the  Little  Vermilion,  and  small  quantities  of  this  mineral,  disseminated 
in  small  grains  through  an  ironstone  jut-t  below  coal  No.  6,  at  the  Horse  Shoe 
of  the  Little  Vermilion,  has  caused  considerable  excitement  over  the  supposed 
discovery  of  "  silver."  The  quantity  is  nowhere  of  any  importance  in  this 
region. 

Gold  is  met  with  in  small  quantities  in  certain  thin  gravel  beds  which  ac- 
company the  boulder  clay,  but  not  in  sufficient  amount  to  be  anything  mere 
than  a  periodical  source  of  excitement  to  the  ignorant. 

Several  large  masses  of  Native  Copper  have  been  picked  up  in  the  Drift  beds 
of  this  county.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  they  do  not  indicate  any  valuable 
deposit  of  this  metal  at  any  point  nearer  than  the  mines  of  Lake  Superior, 
whence  they  have  drifted.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  "  the  Indians"  are  credited 
with  the  knowledge  of  valuable  lead  mines  in  this  region. 

Salt. — Springs  feebly  impregnated  with  salt  are  known  at  several  points  in 
this  region.  The  most  notable  is  near  the  junction  of  Middle  and  Salt  Forks, 
in  section  16,  township  19  north,  range  12  west,  where,  during  the  early  set- 
tlement of  the  country,  a  well  was  bored  to  a  considerable  depth,  and  salt  made 
in  large  quantities.  The  following  account  of  the  work  done  here  was  taken 
from  the  lips  of  Harvey  Luddington,  E?q.,  of  Danville,  who  was  engaged  in 
the  work  for  some  years : 

The  well  was  begun  in  1819,  by  a  small  company,  of  which  Messrs.  Black- 
mail, Treat  and  Beckwith,  are  remembered  as  the  principal  members,  and  deep- 
ened at  intervals.  The  following  is  given  as  an  approximate  section  of  the 
materials  passed  through  : 

FEET. 

1.  Alluvium 19 

2.  CoalJ\To.  7 2  to  2^ 

3.  Blue  fire  clay .-. 3   "  4 

4.  Shale..  90  "  100 


264  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

FEET. 

5.  Coal*  (and  shale)  No.  6? 16 

6.  Fire  clay ? 

7.  Very  hard  gray  rock 69 

8.  Soft  clay  shale 175  "  200 

9.  "         "          ? 75  "  100 

The  thinness  of  the  upper  coal  is  evidently  due  to  a  partial  wearing  away  of 
the  seam  by  the  current  of  the  river,  before  the  deposition  of  the  Alluvium. 

The  first  digging  only  passed  through  the  fire  clay,  and  a  brine  yielding  one 
bushel  of  salt  to  one  hundred  and  seventy  gallons  of  water  was  boiled  at  such  a 
rate  as  to  yield  from  forty  to  fifty  bushels  per  week,  with  eighty  kettles.  Be- 
low the  lower  coal,  a  cavity  of  eighteen  inches  was  found,  from  which  flowed  a 
much  stronger  brine,  one  hundred  gallons  of  which  gave  a  bushel  of  salt. 
The  production  was  now  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  bushels  per  week,  and 
the  price,  $1.50  per  bushel.  In  1825,  Major  Vance  bought  the  works,  and 
deepened  the  well,  the  boring  being  continued  at  intervals  until  1827,  but  the 
strength  of  the  brine  did  not  notably  increase.  After  the  construction  of 
canals  and  railroads,  they  were  unable  to  compete  with  the  Syracuse  salt,  and 
work  was  stopped  and  never  resumed.  The  brine  probably  came  from  the 
sandstones  at  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  would  have  been  found  of 
greater  strength  if  the  well  had  been  deepened  considerably.  From  these 
lower  beds,  wells  bored  on  the  east  side  of  the  "Wabash,  have  obtained  brine  of 
a  strength  of  from  7°  to  8£°  Beaume.  It  would  seem  that,  with  the  abund- 
ance of  coal  on  the  spot,  the  reduction  of  this  ought  to  be  made  to  pay. . 

This  abundance  of  brine  in  the  lower  strata  makes  it  doubtful  whether  pure 
water  can  be  obtained  in  this  county  by  artesian  wells  sunk  in  the  rock.  In 
nearly  all  parts  of  the  county,  however,  water  can  be  obtained  from  the  quick- 
sand below  the  boulder  clay,  which,  in  most  cases,  will  rise  high  enough  to  be 
readily  pumped  to  the  surface,  and  in  some  cases,  in  the  north  part  of  the 
county,  flows  out  naturally,  as  in  the  numerous  flowing  wells  of  Iroquois 
county,  which  are  probably  supplied  from  the  same  source. 

*The  enormous  thickness  of  this  coal,  as  reported  by  the  well  borers,  has  always  been  a 
mystery  to  the  coal  miners,  since  no  such  bed  appears  upon  the  outcrop,  and  the  boring  re- 
ferred to  in  Major  Kirkland's  letter  did  not  reach  any  corresponding  bed.  It  was  long  sus- 
pected that  at  least  a  part  of  this  was  shale,  and  the  parties  who  bored  an  "  oil  well  "  at  Rock 
Ford,  on  Salt  Fork,  report  finding,  at  a  considerable  depth  (amount  not  given)  below  coal  No. 
7,  "  twelve  feet  of  black  shale  and  four  feet  of  canncl."  If  this  report  is  correct,  this  is  prob- 
ably coal  No.  6,  the  changed  condition  being  only  the  result  of  the  more  complete  action  of 
the  causes  which  gave  to  that  seam,  two  miles  above  Danville,  a  top  bench  of  nine  inches  of 
caunel.  Until,  however,  some  shaft  has  been  sunk  io  this  lower  seam  at  some  considerable 
distance  west  of  the  outcrop,  I  shall  not  be  willing  to  believe  in  any  such  condition  of  things 
at  that  level. 


VERMILION   COUNTY.  265 

Road  Material. — Along  Jordan  creek,  about  a  mile  below  Fairmount,  several 
strong  springs  flow  from  a  heavy  bank  of  very  sandy  boulder-clay,  which  is 
said  to  harden  rapidly  when  exposed  to  the  air.  It  would  be  worth  while  to 
try  the  effect  of  a  good  coating  of  this  upon  some  of  the  prairie-roads,  making 
the  application  when  the  road  is  dry  and  smooth. 

In  working  up  the  geology  of  this  county,  I  have  met  with  most  cordial  treat- 
ment everywhere;  but  can  only  express  my  great  indebtedness  to  Dr.  J.  C. 
Winslow,  of  Danville,  who,  since  the  day  I  commenced  work  in  the  county, 
has  done  all  in  his  power  to  forward  my  plans,  and  both  during  my  stay  there 
and  since  my  departure,  has  constantly  furnished  me  with  needed  information 
and  specimens.  The  exigencies  of  the  survey  required  me  to  extend  my  lines 
into  the  adjoining  part  of  Indiana ;  and  here  I  received  the  indefatigable 
assistance  of  Mr.  John  Collett,  of  Eugene,  who,  whenever  called  upon,  has 
been  always  ready  to  put  himself  and  all  he  possessed  entirely  at  my  disposal. 
I  could  wish  no  geologist  better  fortune  than  to  fall  into  his  hands.  In  this 
part  of  my  work,  I  was  also  very  greatly  assisted  by  Mr.  William  Gibson,  of 
Perrysville,  and  Dr.  C.  P.  Boyer,  of  Williamsport. 

NOTE. — The  coal  No.  6  or  "  Grape  creek  scam  "  of  this  county  seems  to  correspond  much 
better  in  its  general  characters  with  No.  6  of  the  Illinois  valley  section,  than  the  Danville 
coal,  which  Mr.  Bradley  suggests  as  its  probable  equivalent.  Everywhere  in  Fulton  and  Peoria 
counties,  where  No.  6  has  been  examined,  it  has  a  clay  parting,  usually  a  little  below  the 
middle  of  the  seam,  and  varying  from  a  half  inch  to  two  inches  or  more  in  width.  The 
coal  is  also  very  free  from  pyrite,  and  is  usually  preferred  for  blacksmiths'  use,  and  has  a 
well  defined  "block"  character.  We  see  no  objection  to  considering  No.  7  in  the  Wabash 
valley  as  the  eauivalent  of  some  of  the  thinner  seams  above  No.  6.  in  the  Illinois  river  sec- 
tion, which  are  there  too  thin  to  be  of  any  value  practically,  and  hence  have  been  but  slightly 
studied,  and  consequently  their  peculiar  features  are  as  yet  but  little  known.  So  far  as  the 
specific  character  of  the  fossils  of  the  roof  shales  can  be  relied  on  to  determine  the  equivalency 
of  the  strata,  there  is  a  much  closer  resemblance  between  those  found  in  connection  with  the 
Danville  coal  and  the  small  seam  outcropping  in  the  vicinity  of  Springfield  (which  must  be  as 
high  in  the  series  as  Nos.  8  or  9  in  the  Illinois  valley  section),  than  with  any  of  the  lower 
seams.  A.  H.  W. 


—34 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


EDGAR,  FORD  AND  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTIES. 

Edgar  county  lies  adjacent  to  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  and  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  Vermilion  county,  on  the  west  by  Coles  county,  and  on  the 
south  by  Clark  county.  It  is  nearly  a  square,  being  about  twenty-three  and  a 
half  miles  long  by  about  twenty-seven  miles  wide,  and  thus  containing  some- 
thing less  than  six  hundred  and  forty  square  miles. 

The  eastern  and  southern  borders  of  the  county,  comprising  perhaps  two- 
fifths  of  its  area,  are  occupied  by  the  timbered  land  adjoining  the  breaks  of  the 
streams  which  run  toward  the  Wabash.  The  remainder,  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  sections  about  the  head  of  Embarras  river,  in  the  western  edge  of  the 
county,  is  occupied  by  the  Grand  Prairie,  some  arms  of  which  also  run  quite 
deeply  into  the  timber,  along  the  divides  between  the  different  creeks. 

The  timber  is  mainly  the  same  as  that  of  the  timbered  lands  to  the  north- 
ward ;  but  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county,  beech  begins  to  take  a  promi- 
nent place,  and  considerable  numbers  of  pines  find  congenial  soil  above  the 
heavy-bedded  sandstones  which  form  the  bluffs  of  the  Barren  Fork  and  its 
branches,  in  the  edge  of  Clark  county,  south  of  Grandview. 

The  prairie  generally  has  a  deep  black  mucky  soil,  but,  in  some  of  its  east- 
ern extensions  into  the  timber,  this  is  mostly  wanting,  and  the  soft  dark  brown 
clay  of  the  subsoil  comes  nearly  to  the  surface.  The  bottoms  of  the  prairie 
sloughs  generally  contain  more  or  less  light  brown  marly  clay  containing  fresh 
water  shells.  From  one  of  these  slough  bottoms,  a  nearly  perfect  skeleton  of  a 
Mastodon  was  obtained  some  years  since,  which,  after  having  been  exhibited 
through  all  this  part  of  the  United  States,  is  said  to  have  been  sold  to  a  Phila- 
delphia museum.  Fragments  of  skeletons  of  this  animal  are  not  rare  here- 
abouts. 

The  beds  of  the  Drift  period  do  not  show  any  very  great  thickness  in  this 
county,  and  only  the  boulder-clay  member  is  well  developed.  They  may  per- 
haps attain  a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 
Where  any  considerable  quantities  of  these  materials  occur,  they  arc  generally 
underlaid  by  a  heavy  bed  of  water-bearing  quicksand,  apparently  continuous 


EDGAR,    FORD   AND   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTIES.  267 

with  that  found  in  Champaign  and  Vermilion  counties  in  the  same  position. 
This  was  encountered  at  Grandview,  in  1869,  at  a  depth  of  fifty  feet,  in 
the  shaft  attempted  by  Messrs.  Holding  in  search  of  coal. 

Rock     Formations. 

The  rocks  exposed  within  the  county  all  belong  to  that  portion  of  the  Coal 
Measures  which  lies  above  coal  No.  6  of  the  Illinois  valley  section,  or  No.  7  of 
the  Wabash  valley  section,  as  given  in  the  report  upon  Vermilion  county. 
Above  that  level,  no  workable  seam  of  coal  is  .developed  in  this  region.  Im- 
mediately upon  the  borders  of  the  county,  however,  we  find  the  outcrop  of  No. 
7  and  No.  6  is  not  far  below.  Both  seams  are  probably  workable  by  shafts  in 
all  parts  of  the  county.  For  the  readiest  understanding  of  the  geology  of  the 
county,  I  give  the  following  general  section : 

FEET. 

1.  Soft  clay  shales 40 

2.  Coarse  sandrock  and  shales,  with  limestone  bands 95 

3.  Limestone,  bottom  often  shaly 25 

4.  Green,  dark  drab  and  black  clay  shale  (level  of  "  No.  12  ?  ") 3        to    4 

5.  Greenish  shaly  sandstone  and  sandy  shales 12         "  15 

6.  Green  and  drab  clay  shales 30         "40 

7.  Light  drab  and  greenish,  very  ferruginous  sandy  shales 15         "20 

8  Dark  drab  clay  shale,  with  few  large  ironstones 5         "     6 

9.  Impure  shaly  coal,  "  No.  9  ?  " „ 1£ 

10.  Greenish  clay  shales 8         "  10 

11.  Sandy  argillaceous  limestone,  containing  pebbles  of  black  limestone,  and 

fragments  of  fossils If       "     3 

12.  Red  and  green,  changing  to  green  sandy  shales  and  shaly  sandstones, 

locally  heavy-bedded,  containing   Cauleipites,  and  graduating  below 

into 10  "  15 

13.  Green  and  drab  clay  shales,  with  ironstones  very  numerous  at  bottom. .    .  30  "  35 

14.  Marly  argillaceous  limestone,  with  fossils 1-6    "       ^ 

15.  Soft  black  shale 2 

16.  Coal,   "No.  8?" 1-6    "       f 

17.  Fire-clay 3  «     4 

18.  Light  drab  sandy  shales,  weathering  greenish,  with  heavy  ironstones  ....  40  "50 

19.  Dark  drab  sandy  shales,  weathering  greenish,  coarsely  concretionary  ....  12  "  15 

20.  Light  blue  clay  shales 15  "20 

21.  Coal,  top  shaly,  "  No.  7  " 5  "6 

22.  Fire-clay 6  "8 

23.  Sandy  shales : 10  "  12 

24.  Limestone 1  "     2 

25.  Sandy  shales 8  "  12 

26.  Compact  sandstone 3  "     6 

27.  Greenish  sandy  shale,  with  few  ironstones 25  "30 

28.  Black  shale,  some  slaty,  with  very  heavy  pyritous  ironstone  nodules 5  "     6 

29.  Coal,"No.6" 5  "6 

30.  Fire-clay  and  soft  clay  shale 4  "     6 


268  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

Nos.  1  and  2  of  this  section  are  here  given  in  general  terms  from  the  report 
of  the  boring  at  Sutherland's  distillery,  two  miles  north  of  Paris.  The  out" 
crop  of  the  corresponding  beds  on  Sugar  creek,  the  only  point  where  they  were 
seen,  is  so  disconnected  that  a  detailed  section  can  not  be  made.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  limestone  bands  of  No.  2,  of  which  I  can  find  no  trace  along 
the  outcrop,  I  am  inclined  to  accept  them  as  generally  correct.  Apparently 
belonging  near  the  top  of  No.  2,  I  found,  at  two  or  three  points,  about  three 
inches  of  shaly  coal,  overlaid  by  from  one  to  two  feet  of  black,  slaty  shale,  with 
pyritous  nodules  apparently  of  coprolitic  origin,  though  no  fossils  were  seen. 
Of  the  shaly  sandstone  next  beneath  these  beds,  several  layers  will  yield  very 
fair  sized  flag-stones,  though  they  do  not  appear  very  durable.  The  coal  must 
represent  seam  "  No.  13,"  according  to  the  numbering  adopted  in  these  reports 
for  the  Wabash  valley  coals. 

The  bed  of  limestone  numbered  3  in  the  section,  was  reported  as  being 
twenty-five  feet  thick  in  the  boring.  The  best  outcrop  seen  is  at  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  one  mile  east  of  Baldwinsville,  where  a  small  stream  runs  over 
and  exposes  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  of  its  lower  layers.  These  are  partly  compact, 
partly  shaly,  and,  near  the  base,  contain  several  thin  layers  of  green,  shaly  clay. 
Fossils  are  tolerably  abundant,  but  only  of  the  most  common  species.  The 
higher  layers  of  this  bed  are  more  solid,  and  have  been  quarried  for  culverts 
and  foundations  at  several  points  near  the  southeast  corner  of  township  14 
north,  range  11  west.  The  lower  layers  have  been  quarried,  to  a  small  extent, 
near  Mr.  Clinton's,  on  Lane's  branch,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  5, 
township  13  north,  range  11  west.  They  are  here  also  quite  thin  and  with 
shaly  partings,  and  contain  great  numbers  of  fine  fossils,  such  as  Athyris  subtilita, 
Spirifer  cameratus,  S.  lineatus,  Meekella  striato-costata,  Pleurotomaria  turbini- 
formis,  Cyathaxonia  prolifera,  3eliophyttum?p\&tes  and  spines  of  Palsechinus,  etc. 
On  the  main  branch  of  Sugar  creek,  there  is  no  exposed  outcrop  of  this  bed, 
though  the  large  masses  of  it  lying  in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  a  short  distance 
above  the  railroad  bridge,  may  be  considered  as  indications  that  the  bed  is  not 
far  off.  Tumbling  masses  of  this  rock  are  also  seen  in  considerable  numbers 
just  at  the  county  line  on  Big  creek,  but  no  outcrop  was  detected  in  this  neigh- 
borhood. 

On  Barren  fork  of  Big  creek,  at  the  Big  creek  mill,  in  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  1,  township  12  north,  range  13  west,  the-same  bed  outcrops,  with 
nearly  the  same  fossils  as  on  Lane's  branch.  Not  more  than  ten  feet  of  the 
lower  shaly  portion  of  the  bed  is  here  exposed.  In  descending  this  fork,  we 
come  to  shaly  sandstones,  which,  near  the  county  line,  and  especially  in  the 
neighboring  part  of  Clark  county,  give  place  to  very  heavy  bedded  sandstones, 
forming  abrupt  banks  and  cliff's  of  from  ten  to  perhaps  forty  feet  in  hight.  The 
connection  between  these  beds  and  the  limestone  was  not  exposed,  and  the  dip 


EDGAR,    FORD   AND   CHAMPAIGN    COUNTIES.  269 

was  not  strongly  enough  marked  to  decide  their  relations;  but  my  impression 
at  the  time  was,  that  the  limestone  was  the  higher  bed.  I  will  not,  however, 
insist  upon  that  interpretation  of  the  facts,  since  it  in  no  way  affects  my  deter- 
mination about  the  overlying  beds,  and  Prof.  E.  T.  Cox,  who  surveyed  Clark 
county,  though  confessing  that  he  nowhere  saw  the  direct  connection  of  the  two 
sets  of  beds,  is  very  strongly  of  the  opinion  that  the  sandstone  is  the  higher. 

From  the  Koman  Catholic  church  before  mentioned,  there  is  an  almost  con- 
tinuous outcrop,  down  Brouillet's  creek,  as  given  in  the  section,  until  we  meet 
the  first  workable  coal  seam  just  below  the  State  line.  A  similar  section  is  ex- 
posed upon  Coal  creek,  two  or  three  miles  farther  south,  which  joins  Brouillet's 
creek  at  the  Indiana  furnace.  On  both  these  streams,  Nos.  13  and  18  furnish 
large  quantities  of  ironstone  nodules  of  fine  quality. 

No.  11  of  the  section,  with  its  numerous  pebbles  of  black,  bituminous  lime- 
stone, furnishes  a  readily  recognizable  horizon,  for  some  miles  along  the  creek, 
near  and  below  Baldwinsville. 

No.  12,  although  quite  variable  in  character  within  short  distances,  is  no- 
ticeable for  containing  the  Caulcrpites  marginatuSj  which  marks  the  same  level 
along  the  Salt  Fork  in  Vermilion  county. 

No.  14  contains  a  few  fossils  in  good  preservation,  such  as  Spirifer  lineatus, 
S.  planoconvexus,  Spirifeiina  Kentuckensis,  Pleurotomaria  sphserulata,  P.  Gray- 
villensis,  Productus  longispinus,  Cyathaxoniaprolffera,  Astartella,  etc. 

The  coarsely  concretionary  structure  of  No.  19  allies  it  with  corresponding 
beds  in  Vermilion  county,  which  there  lie  perhaps  thirty  feet  higher  than  coal 
No.  7. 

With  the  exception  of  the  limestone  No.  3  of  the  section,  whose  distribution 
has  already  been  spoken  of,  the  small  outcrops  along  the  streams  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  county  are  so  disconnected,  and  of  such  common  characters, 
that  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  determine  their  exact  equivalents  in  the 
section.  On  Clear  creek,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  7,  township  12, 
range  11  west,  a  few  feet  of  a  soft,  fine  grained  sandstone,  somewhat  ferrugin- 
ous, has  been  quarried  to  a  small  extent,  principally  for  grindstones.  It  is  un- 
derlaid by  four  or  five  feet  of  very  dark  drab  clay  shale.  This  may  be  the 
equivalent  of  No.  12  of  the  section,  but  I  am  rather  inclined  to  believe  that  No 
7  has  here  taken  the  form  of  a  sandstone.  In  either  case,  it  is  not  impossible 
that  the  report  may  he  correct,  that  coal  was  struck  at  eighty  feet,  in  a  boring 
made  in  this  neighborhood  some  time  since.  The  shales  and  irregular  shaly 
sandstones,  which  outcrop  just  at  the  railroad  bridge  over  the  main  branch  of 
Sugar  creek,  evidently  belong  to  Nos.  4  and  5  of  the  section.  In  going  down 
this  creek,  we  find  no  beds  of  rock  evidently  in  place,  except  about  a  mile  north 
of  Elbridge,  where  two  or  three  feet  of  soft,  drab  clay  shale  make  their  ap- 
pearance at  two  or  three  points,  but  give  no  indication  of  their  position  in  the 


270  GEOLOGY   OF    ILLINOIS. 

section.  Upon  the  streams  west  of  Big  creek,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
county,  and  about  the  head  of  Embarras  river,  in  the  western  part  of  the  coun. 
ty,  no  rock  outcrop  could  be  found. 

The  boring  at  Sutherland's  distillery  seems  to  have  been  put  down  at  nearly 
the  highest  point  in  the  county,  geologically  speaking;  and  a  carefully  prepared 
record  of  it  would  aid  very  greatly  in  the  determination  of  the  geology  of  the 
county.  Such  a  record  was  kept  by  Dr.  Newell,  of  Paris,  but  was  unfortu- 
nately lost  in  the  burning  of  his  store,  and  only  general  facts  have  been  pre- 
served by  memory.  It  is  stated,  however,  that  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  of 
strata  were  found  between  the  limestone  No.  3  and  the  first  workable  coal,  and 
about  one  hundred  feet  between  this  and  the  next  one,  below  which  no  coal  is 
reported.  It  would  be  queer  if  none  of  the  lower  seams  should  run  under 
here;  but  two  five-foot  seams  are  enough,  for  several  generations  at  least. 

The  following  is  reported  as  the  section  of  a  boring  made  at  Sandford's  Sta- 
tion, in  May,  1867  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Soil  and  subsoil 15 

2.  Sand 6 

3.  Sand  and  clay 4 

4.  Hardpan 66 

5.  Brown  clay 10       3 

6.  Blue  clay 8       4 

7.  Sandstone 4 

8.  Blue  clay 37       2 

9.  Black  shale  1       3 

10.  Fire  clay , 4  5 

11.  Limestone 6  5 

12.  Red  clay 2 

13.  Limestone 3 

14.  Soapstone 2  8 

15.  Limestone 9 

16.  Red  slate 7  6 

17.  Hardpan 2  9 

18.  Limestone  3 

19.  Sand  and  clay 4 

20.  Limestone 1  9 

21.  Red  slate 1  6 

22.  Sand  and  blue  clay 5  3 

23.  Sandstone 3  10 

24.  Black  slate 8  3 

25.  Hard  stone 5 

26.  Black  slate  4  2 

27.  Bastard  lime , 8 

28.  Slate 7  5 

29.  Soapstone 5  3 

30.  Rotten  coal 4  7 

31.  Sandstone 6 


EDGAR,    FORD    AND    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTIES.  271 

FEET.    IN. 

32.  Fire  clay 7       2 

33.  Sandstone .4 


239       7 

The  black  shale  of  No.  9  of  this  section  apparently  represents  coal  "No.  7," 
while  Nos.  24  to  26  may  represent  coal  "  No.  6."  No  30  may  possibly  be  a 
parting  of  "  No.  6,"  locally  separated  from  the  same  seam.  There  are  spots  in 
every  coal  seam  where  the  coal  is  wanting,  and  this  boring,  if  correctly  re- 
ported, seems  to  have  been  sunk  at  a  point  where  this  is  true  of  both  seams. 
It  is  possible  that  the  seams  do  not  extend  under  the  southern  part  of  Edgar 
county;  but  I  do  not  believe  this  to  be  true.  I  put  no  faith  in  the  reports  of  the 
sections  obtained  in  sinking  several  oil  wells  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Clark 
county  and  the  southeast  corner  of  Coles  county,  most  of  which,  as  reported, 
contain  no  coal.  I  judge  that  coal  can  be  found  under  every  section  of  the  county, 
at  a  depth  nowhere  exceeding  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet ;  and,  along  the  line 
of  the  railroad,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  would  probably  reach  the  first  seam 
of  coal  "  No.  7,"  in  nearly  every  case ;  the  most  doubtful  point  being  at  Paris. 
The  distance  from  "No.  7"  to  "No.  6,"  is  reported  at  one  hundred  feet  in  the 
distillery  boring ;  but  this  distance  is  probably  about  seventy  feet  on  Brouillet's 
creek,  and  less  elsewhere.  "  No.  7  "  is  quite  impure  in  all  this  region,  and,  in 
shafting  for  coal,  it  would  probably  be  best  to  go  on  to  the  lower  seam,  No.  6, 
which  is  a  much  purer  article,  considerable  portions  of  it  being  the  so-called 
"block"  coal,  in  most  of  its  outcrops  in  this  region.  In  consequence  of  the 
great  variations  in  thickness  in  most  of  the  beds  exposed  along  Brouillet's 
creek,  I  have  been  obliged  to  give,  in  the  general  section,  very  variable 
thicknesses  for  nearly  every  bed.  In  calculating  from  the  section  the  probable 
depth  to  any  particular  bed,  at  any  one  point,  the  average  of  thicknesses  should 
be  used.  I  had  hoped  that,  before  the  publication  of  this  report,  at  least  one 
shaft  might  have  been  sunk,  so  as  to  determine  the  exact  section  at  some  one 
point,  but  the  shaft  proposed  at  Paris  is  apparently  given  up,  and  the  one  com- 
menced at  Grandview,  by  Holding  Bros.,  has  been  temporarily  stopped,  through 
meeting  with  the  heavy  beds  of  water-bearing  quicksand  at  the  base  of  the 
boulder  clay. 

One  kiln  of  lime  was  burned  at  Collins's  quarry,  on  Lane's  branch,  but  care 
was  not  taken  to  separate  the  shaly  layers  before  burning,  and  the  lime  is 
worthless,  except  for  agricultural  purposes.  Some  portions  of  the  bed  No.  3  of 
the  section,  would  make  good  lime. 

For  courtesies  and  information,  while  engaged  in  the  survey  of  this  county, 
I  am  especially  indebted  to  John  W.  Blackburn,  Esq.,  and  to  Dr.  Newell,  both 
of  Paris. 


272  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 


CHAMPAIGN    AND   FORD    COUNTIES. 

These  counties  occupy  a  nearly  central  position  in  the  State,  measuring  north 
and  south,  and  lie  in  the  second  tier  of  counties  from  the  Indiana  line.  They 
are  near  the  center  of  the  Grand  Prairie,  and  have  an  almost  exclusively  prai- 
rie surface.  The  groves  are  few  and  small,  and  are  situated  upon  the  small 
streams  which  head  in  these  counties. 

Champaign  county  contains  about  ten  hundred  and  eight  square  miles,  being 
about  thirty-six  miles  from  north  to  south,  and  about  twenty-seven  from  east 
to  west. 

Ford  county  consists  of  two  parts,  the  one  adjoining  Champaign  county, 
about  fifteen  miles  from  north  to  south,  and  twenty-seven  miles  from  east  to 
west ;  the  other,  running  thirty  miles  northward,  between  Iroquois  and  Liv- 
ingston counties,  to  the  south  line  of  Kankakee  county,  with  a  width  of  only 
six  miles. 

So  far  as  is  known,  there  is  no  outcrop  of  rock  within  the  limits  of  these 
counties.  Scattered  over  their  area,  there  are  many  large  drifted  masses  of 
Niagara  group  limestone,  and  Coal  Measure  limestone,  and  sandstone.  These 
are,  in  some  cases,  of  very  large  dimensions,  and  have  yielded  considerable 
quantities  of  stone  for  local  use ;  so  that  some  persons  have  supposed  them  to 
be  solid  beds  of  rock.  The  evidence  is,  however,  as  we  have  stated,  that  no 
solid  bed  reaches  the  surface. 

The  soil  is  mainly  the  rich  black  prairie  muck,  from  one  to  five  feet  thick, 
underlaid,  in  most  cases,  by  a  yellow  clay  subsoil.  Along  the  sloughs  and 
ponds,  the  subsoil  is  a  tough  brown  to  yellow  clay,  with  numerous  small  fresh 
water  shells  of  the  genera  Physa,  Limnea,  Plcmorbis,  Ct/clas,  etc.  These  are 
often  so  numerous  as  to  give  a  whitish  cast  to  the  whole  mass.  We  have  not 
heard  of  the  finding  of  any  Mastodon  remains  in  these  beds,  though  they  are 
not  rare  in  similar  situations  in  adjoining  counties. 

The  subsoil  is  underlaid  by  irregular  alternating  beds  of  clay,  gravel  and 
quicksand  of  the  Drift  formation,  to  the  depth  of  from  one  hundred  and  fifty 
to  probably  three  hundred  feet. 

In  an  attempt  to  sink  a  coal  shaft  at  Champaign,  Mr.  John  Faulds  found 
the  following  section  : 

FEET. 

Soil,  clay  and  quicksand 17 

Red  and  blue  clay 73 

Peat 2 

Quicksand,  containing  a  tree  seven  inches  in  diameter. . . ', 9 


EDGAR,   FORD,    AND   CHAMPAIGN   COUNTIES.  273 

FEET. 

Soft  yellow  clay 9 

Sand 3 

Yellow  clay 7 

Quicksand  and  gravel 59 

179 

The  bottom  bed  of  quicksand  defied  all  his  efforts  to  reach  a  greater  depth. 
Within  a  short  distance  of  this  place,  however,  an  earlier  boring,  of  which  we 
have  not  the  data,  is  said  to  have  reached  soft  blue  shale  at  one  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  feet  from  the  surface. 

The  depth  and  character  of  these  beds  correspond  with  what  is  known  of 
similar  deposits  to  the  northward  and  eastward.  We  find  in  them  evidence 
that,  at  some  former  period,  some  powerful  denuding  current  has  torn  up  the 
rocks  and  excavated  a  broad  and  deep  channel,  extending  from  the  southern 
end  of  Lake  Michigan,  down  the  eastern  line  of  the  State  until,  shortly  after 
passing  the  line  now  occupied  by  the  Kankakee  river,  it  rose  over  the  declining 
edge  of  the  Niagara  limestone,  and  then  bore  off  southwestward  through  the 
softer  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures,  which  here  seem  to  lie  directly  upon  the 
Niagara.  This  channel  passes  through  the  central  and  western  parts  of  Iro- 
quois  county,  and  includes  large  parts  of  Ford,  Champaign  and  McLean  coun- 
ties, with  the  southeastern  part  of  Livingston,  where  its  western  bank  must  be 
located  between  the  two  borings  at  Chatsworth,  the  western,  on  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  4,  township  26  north,  range  8  east,  near  the  east  line  of  the 
section,  striking  the  Coal  Measure  rocks  at  eighty-eight  feet,  and  the  eastern, 
in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  3,  of  the  same  township,  striking  no  rock 
until  it  reached  the  green  calcareous  shales  of  the  Cincinnati  group  at  two 
hundred  feet. 

To  the  westward  of  Champaign  county,  its  course  is  not  so  well  indicated; 
we  know  only  that  it  runs  under  Bloomington,  in  McLean  county,  with  a  depth 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  feet.  However,  as  we  find  at  Rantoul  and  Cham- 
paign, points  probably  near  the  eastern  side  of  the  channel,  and  at  Chatsworth, 
which  we  know  to  be  on  its  western  bank,  only  one  "dirt  bed,"  or  ancient 
mucky  soil,  noted  as  "peat"  in  the  foregoing  section,  while  at  Bloomington 
we  find  two  such  beds  well  developed,  one  six  feet,  and  the  other,  thirteen  feet 
thick,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  this  point  is  near  the  center  of  the  old  val- 
ley. I  will  further  suggest  that  its  junction  with  the  valley  of  the  Illinois 
will  probably  be  found  somewhere  in  Tazewell  or  in  Mason  county. 

The  erosion  of  this  great  valley,  of  course,  took  place  before  the  beginning 
of  the  Drift  period,  since  the  deposits  of  that  age  not  only  fill  it  completely, 
but  deeply  cover  its  banks,  except  at  the  few  points  where  they  have  been  re- 
moved in  the  course  of  the  erosion  of  the  present  river  valleys. 

—35 


274  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

The  gravel  beds  contain  the  ordinary  variety  of  metamorphic  rocks,  with 
not  unfrequent  larger  or  smaller  masses  of  galenite  from  the  Galena  region,  and 
native  copper  from  Lake  Superior ;  but  the  larger  part  of  the  pebbles  and  rock 
masses  consist  of  the  Niagara  limestone,  or  "  Kankakee  stone,"  and  the  shales, 
sandstones  and  limestones  of  the  Coal  Measures. 

The  sands  and  gravels  of  these  beds  furnish  abundant  supplies  of  water  at 
moderate  depths;  and  the  white  quicksand,  lying  between  them  and  the  under- 
lying rocks,  yields  inexhaustible  quantities,  though  generally  at  too  great  a 
depth  to  be  readily  pumped  up. 

Underlying  Rocks. — The  boring  above  reported  as  having  reached  blue  shale 
at  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet,  is  said  to  have  encountered,  at  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-six  feet,  a  bed  of  coal  five  feet  thick,  which  is  supposed  to  be 
equivalent  to  the  Danville  seam,  "  No.  7."  As  the  synclinal  axis  of  this  part 
of  the  Coal  Measures  crosses  the  Salt  Fork  of  the  Big  Vermilion  river  at  Con" 
kcytown,  five  miles  east  of  the  east  line  of  Champaign  county,  with  the  Dan- 
ville seam  not  far  from  two  hundred  feet  below  the  surface,  while  the  under- 
lying beds  begin  to  rise  slowly  as  we  ascend  the  river  from  that  point,  it  seems 
not  improbable  that  this  seam  may  be  found  at  the  depth  reported,  but  its  ex- 
istence there  seems  still  uncertain. 

It  appears  almost  certain  that  the  northern  strip  of  Ford  county  is  destitute 
of  coal ;  but  no  boring  has  proved  its  absence  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
county  ;  judging,  therefore,  from  the  data  obtained  in  the  surrounding  region, 
it  seems  probable  that  the  whole  of  this  district  is  underlaid  by  one  or  more 
workable  seams  of  good  coal,  the  uppermost  probably  lying  nowhere  more  than 
three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the  surface,  and  generally  at  a  much  less 
depth.  There  appears,  therefore,  to  be  no  good  reason  why  shafts  should  not 
be  sunk  to  furnish  a  home  supply  in  place  of  that  now  transported  from  a  dis- 
tance. And,  as  both  counties  are  crossed  by  the  Illinois  Central  railroad,  giv- 
ing direct  connection  with  Chicago,  a  ready  market  could  be  found  for  any 
surplus  of  this  sole  source  of  wealth,  aside  from  those  which  are  strictly  agri- 
cultural. The  heavy  bed  of  quicksand  which  is  said  to  rest  directly  upon  the 
rock,  under  a  part,  at  least,  of  this  district,  presents  the  only  obstacle  to  easy 
mining;  and  this  could  be  readily  overcome  by  any  engineer  of  ordinary  skill. 

It  is  reported  that  at  Urbana,  starting  fifty  feet  lower  than  the  surface  at 
Champaign,  coal  was  encountered  at  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet. 

Borings  made  near  Rantoul  in  1857,  whose  results  were  then  suppressed,  are 
now  said  to  have  found,  about  a  half  a  mile  south  of  the  station,  a  nine-foot  seam 
of  coal  at  a  depth  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  having  struck  rock  at  a  depth 
of  eighty  feet;  and  one  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the  station,  the  same  seam  at 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  ,». 


EDGAR,    FORD,    AND    CHAMPAIGN    COUNTIES.  275 

The  purity  of  the  white  water-bearing  quicksand  which  underlies  the  Drift 
calls  to  mind  the  character  of  the  St.  Peters  sandstone  at  its  outcrop  in  La- 
Salle  county,  in  which  region  it  supplies  several  large  artesian  wells.  The 
southern  continuation  of  the  anticlinal  axis,  which  brings  this  rock  to  the  sur- 
face at  that  point,  would  pass  not  far  from  Champaign;  and  it  is  altogether 
probable  that  the  aforesaid  quicksand  is  really  a  part  of  the  disintegrated  out- 
crop of  that  bed  distributed  over  the  bottom  of  the  great  channel,  which  must 
have  exposed  it  at  some  point  in  this  region.  It  is  also  probable  that  the 
water  which  fills  the  quicksand  comes  from  the  edge  of  this  bed. 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 

HENDERSON    COUNTY. 

Henderson  county  is  situated  on  the  western  border  of  the  State,  and  em- 
braces a  little  less  than  eleven  townships,  or  about  three  hundred  and  eighty 
square  miles.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Mercer  county,  on  the  east  by 
Warren  county,  on  the  south  by  McDonough  and  Hancock  counties,  and  on  the 
west  by  the  Mississippi  river.  The  surface  is  much  broken  by  the  numerous 
streams  passing  through  it.  The  principal  one  of  these  is  the  Henderson  river, 
which  enters  the  county  near  its  northeast  corner,  and,  passing  in  a  southeast- 
erly direction,  empties  into  the  Mississippi  about  six  miles  below  Oquawka. 
Tributary  to  the  Henderson,  and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  are  Fall, 
and  North  and  South  Smith  creeks.  South  Henderson  creek  enters  the  county 
on  its  eastern  border,  through  the  southern  part  of  township  10  north,  and  run- 
ning a  little  to  the  north  of  west,  empties  into  the  Henderson  about  a  mile 
north  of  Sagetown.  South  of  this  the  county  is  intersected  from  east  to  west 
by  Ellison  creek,  which  empties  into  the  Mississippi  about  two  miles  north  of 
Shokokon.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  county  there  are  Honey  and  Dugout 
creeks. 

The  prairies  of  this  county  are  mostly  small,  and  occupy  less  than  half  its 
entire  area.  The  soil  of  the  prairie  is  a  deep,  black  loam,  with  a  brown  clay 
subsoil.  On  the  ridges,  which  skirt  the  streams,  the  soil  is  of  less  depth,  and 
of  a  lighter  color  than  that  of  the  prairie.  It  is  usually  a  dark  brown,  loamy 
clay,  becoming  lighter  brown  on  the  slopes  of  the  hills,  and  partaking  more  of  the 
character  of  the  subsoil.  Formerly  these  ridges  were,  for  the  most  part,  tim- 
bered, but  much  of  the  timber  has  been  cut  off,  and  the  process  of  denudation 
still  goes  on.  The  timber  on  these  ridges  is  principally  the  common  varieties 
of  oak  and  hickory,  with  an  undergrowth  of  ha/el  and  sumac.  Along  the 
slopes  of  the  hills,  and  on  the  bottom  lands  of  the  streams,  we  find  in  addition 
to  these,  red  and  white  elm,  white,  blue  and  prickly  ash,  linden,  sycamore, 
sugar  and  white  maple,  ash-leaved  maple  or  box-elder,  black  walnut,  butternut, 
buckeye,  cotton  wood,  honey  locust,  American  aspen,  wild  cherry,  coffee  tree, 


HENDERSON    COUNTY.  277 

hackberry,  mulberry,  iron  wood,  wild  plum,   thorn,  crab-apple,   dogwood,  and 
redbud. 

Between  the  bluffs  and  the  Mississippi  there  is  a  belt  of  bottom  land  extend- 
ing from  the  north  end  of  the  county  to  Camp  creek,  with  an  average  width  of 
from  two  to  three  miles.  A  portion  of  the  soil  of  this  land  is  a  deep  black 
loam,  very  fertile,  and  originally  covered  in  part  by  a  heavy  growth  of  timber. 
Here  we  find  black,  white,  red  and  pin-oak,  pecan,  the  common  varieties  of 
hickory  and  elm,  buckeye,  black  walnut,  butternut,  sycamore,  box-elder,  etc. 

.  Along  this  bottom  land,  and  for  nearly  the  entire  length  of  the  county,  there 
runs  a  variable  belt  of  sand  ridge.  It  generally  lies  in  low,  rolling  ridges, 
which,  in  some  cases,  become  hills  of  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  hight.  This  belt 
passes  irregularly  through  the  bottom  lands,  here  forming  the  river's  bank,  and 
there  running  nearly  back  to  the  bluff.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  county  it, 
in  some  places,  attains  a  width  of  about  two  miles.  The  soil  is  mostly  poor ; 
still  considerable  portions  of  it  are  cultivated,  and  by  proper  manuring,  yield 
moderately,  though  but  few  seasons  are  wet  enough  for  it  to  produce  largely. 
The  timber  is  principally  scrubby,  black-jack  oak. 

Springs  are  numerous  in  this  county,  and  some  of  them  are  large  and  valua- 
ble, furnishing  a  constant  supply  of  water,  in  quantities  sufficient  for  the 
necessities  of  large  herds  of  cattle.  -Good  wells  may  generally  be  obtained  at 
depths  of  from  fifteen  to  sixty  feet.  Mineral  springs  are  not  uncommon,  cop- 
peras being  the  mineral  most  commonly  held  in  solution.  One  of  the  largest 
and  best  known  of  these  is  in  section  32,  townsphip  11,  range  4  west. 

Surface     Geology. 

The  surface  deposits  of  this  county  comprise  the  three  sub-divisions  of  the 
Quaternary  System,  Alluvium,  Loess  and  Drift,  and  attain  a  thickness  of  from 
thirty  to  eighty  feet.  The  largest  alluvial  deposit  in  this  county  is  that  along 
the  Mississippi,  but  smaller  belts  are  found  along  the  smaller  streams,  especially 
Henderson  river,  South  Henderson,  Ellison  and  Honey  creeks.  These,  how- 
ever, are  seldom  over  a  half  mile  in  width,  and  frequently  but  a  few  rods.  The 
soil  of  these  deposits  is  generally  largely  composed  of  vegetable  mould,  mixed 
with  sand  and  gravel,  and  is  very  fertile.  That  along  the  Mississippi  has  been 
already  described. 

The  Loess  is  a  marly  sand  deposit,  generally  more  or  less  calcareous,  and 
usually  containing  large  numbers  of  fresh  water  and  land  shells,  mostly  of 
species  still  existing  in  this  region.  It  frequently  contains  small  concretions 
of  carbonate  of  lime,  which  have  resulted  from  the  leaching  of  the  mass 
These  were  noticed  in  township  9,  range  5  west.  This  deposit  caps  a  portion 
of  the  Mississippi  bluffs  in  this  county,  and  is  also  found  along  South  Hender- 


278  GEOLOGY   OP   ILLINOIS. 

son  and  Honey  creeks.  Elsewhere  it  was  not  noticed,  though  it  is  probable 
that  it  may  be  found  in  other  parts. 

The  Drift  comprises  a  series  of  brown,  yellow  and  blue  clays,  locally  inter- 
mingled with  sand  and  gravel,  with,  in  some  places,  thin  beds  of  cemented 
gravel.  These  deposits  are  spread  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  uplands,  and 
when  the  Loess  is  present,  underlie  it.  Bituminous  coal  in  rounded  fragments, 
is  frequently  found  in  the  Drift,  and  has  been  derived  from  the  coal  strata  in 
the  adjoining  region.  Prom  these  fragments,  many  have  been  led  to  suppose 
that  valuable  beds  of  coal  might  be  found  where  they  occur,  and  much  time 
and  money  have  been  wasted  in  searching  for  them.  They  do  not  furnish  any 
evidence,  however,  of  deposits  of  coal  in  the  immediate  vicinity  in.  which  they 
occur.  In  section  23,  township  8,  range  6  west,  just  above  the  bridge,  where 
the  bluff  road  crosses  Dugout  creek,  considerable  quantities  of  .drift  coal  has 
been  observed.  It  is  reported  that,  at  one  time,  a  sufficient  quantity  was  ob- 
tained here  to  be  used  for  blacksmithing  purposes. 

The  other  geological  formations  that  occur  in  Henderson  county  are  the  Coal 
Measures,  St.  Louis  group,  Keokuk  Limestone,  Burlington  Limestone,  and 
Kinderhook  group. 

The  Coal  Measures  are  found  only  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county 
They  are  represented  by  a  few  thin  beds  of  sandstone,  shales,  clays,  and  a  single 
seam  of  coal,  which  has  been  found  only  in  sections  23  and  26,  township  9, 
range  4  west.  It  probably  belongs  to  coal  No.  2  ?  of  the  Illinois  river  section, 
and  at  this  point  varies  from  one  foot  eight  inches  to  two  feet  ten  inches  in 
thickness.  In  the  south  part  of  section  23  it  is  overlaid  by  a  yellow  sandstone 
mottled  with  whitish  spots,  which  appears  to  be  unfossiliferous.  At  the  other 
mine,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  26,  this  sandstone  contains  pebbles 
and  fragments  of  carbonized  coal  plants,  while  in  some  parts  of  it  there  are 
nodules  of  fossiliferous  limestone.  Among  the  fossils  obtained  here  are  Spiri- 
fer  planoconvexa,  Athyris  subtilita,  A.  Royissii,  Rhynchonella  Osagensis,  Retzia 
punctilifera  and  Terebratula  bovidens.  The  coal  rests  upon  a  bed  of  fire-clay,  the 
thickness  of  which  has  not  been  ascertained.  At  this  point  the  strata  dip,  at  a 
slight  angle,  to  the  southwest,  while  in  section  23  they  dip  to  the  northeast. 

Sandstones  resembling  those  of  the  Coal  Measures  have  been  found  in  various 
parts  of  townships  8  and  9,  range  4  west,  also  near  Biggsville.  Thin  outliers 
of  the  Coal  Measure  strata  may  also  be  present  in  other  parts  of  the  county, 
but  deeply  buried  beneath  the  Drift,  and  would  probably  afford  no  coal  of  any 
value,  if  found.  Where  the  Drift  is  known  to  rest  on  the  Sub-carboniferous 
limestone,  the  search  for  coal  would  be  useless. 

St.  Louis  Group. — Beds  belonging  to  this  group  have  been  recognized  with 
certainty  only  along  South  Henderson  creek,  near  Biggsville.  At  the  time  I 
visited  this  place  (in  the  spring  of  1868),  the  creek  was  so  high  that  many  of 


HENDERSON    COUNTY.  279 

the  beds  were  covered,  and  others  could  be  examined  only  with  much  difficulty. 
I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  A.  H.  Worthen  for  the  following  section,  which  was 
made  by  him  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southeast  of  Biggsville: 

FEET. 

1.  Loess 10  to  12 

2.  Gravel,  sand  and  clay 12  "15 

3.  Blue  plastic  clay,  with  pebbles 15 

4.  Quartzose  sandstone 2 

5.  Band  of  broken,  rotten  limestone 1 

&  Blue  marly  clay,  stratified 15  "20 

7.  Band  of  broken  magnesian  limestone 1£ 

8.  Keokuk  beds 25  "30 

No.  4  of  the  section  probably  belongs  to  the  Coal  Measures,  while  Nos.  5,  6 
and  7  belong  to  the  St.  Louis  group.  West  of  Biggsville  it  was  again  recog- 
nized in  section  17.  Commencing  below  the  Drift,  a  section  of  the  strata  gave 
the  following : 

FEET.     IN. 

1.  Shale  and  yellow  clay 10 

2.  Soft,  yellow  sandstone 10 

3.  Blue  clay  shale 2 

4.  Keokuk  beds  (not  measured) 

Nos.  1.  2  and  3  of  this  section  belong  to  the  St.  Louis  group.  South  of  this, 
along  Ellison  creek,  thin  outliers  may  exist,  but  none  were  recognized. 

Keokuk  Limestone. — This  division  of  the  Sub-carboniferous  series  is  found 
along  the  southern  line  of  the  county,  at  and  near  Dallas  City.  It  rises  to  the 
north  or  northeast,  and  on  going  up  the  bluff  road  about  a  mile,  it  disappears, 
having  either  run  out,  or  is  so  deeply  covered  by  the  Drift  as  not  to  be  exposed 
along  the  streams.  East  of  Dallas  City  this  limestone  appears,  forming  the 
bluffs  of  Camp  creek,  but  on  going  down  the  creek,  northwest,  it  soon  runs 
out,  and  the  lower  layers  exposed  are  Burlington  limestone.  The  Keokuk  beds 
again  appear  in  section  11,  township  9,  range  4.  A  section  at  this  point  is  as 
follows : 

FEET.         IN. 

1.  Soil  and  Drift  (not  measured) 

2.  Yellow  clay  shale,  containing  a  few  gcodes 1  to  2 

3.  Limestone 3     2 

4.  Blue  clay  shale ? 

North  of  this  it  is  again  exposed  on  South  Henderson  creek.  Its  most  west- 
erly outcrop  along  this  stream,  is  about  two  miles  east  of  Sagetown,  in  section 
13,  township  10,  range  5.  Here  it  appears  near  the  top  of  the  bluff,  and  a 
mile  or  two  up  the  stream  it  forms  the  bed  of  the  creek.  Its  most  easterly  ex- 
posure is  about  three  miles  southeast  of  Biggsville,  in  section  26,  township  10, 
range  4.  A  short  distance  west  of  Biggsville,  in  section  17,  the  rocks  exposed 
in  the  creek  bluff  gave  the  following  section  : 


280  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 


1.  Soil  and  Drift.     Not  measured. 

2.  Sandstone,  soft*  .......................................................  1       5 

3.  Yellow  clay  shale  ......................................................  1       7 

4.  Bluish  clay  shale  ....................................   .................  6       6 

5.  Limestone  .......................................................  4       6 

6.  Shale  ................................................................  2       2 

7.  Limestone  ............................................................  2     11 

8.  Clay  ................................................................  2 

9.  Shale  ................................................................          4 

10.  Limestone  ...........................................................  5 

11.  Shale  ........................................................  .  .......  1       1 

12.  Limestone    ...........................................................  6 

13.  Shale  ................................................................  2       1 

14.  Limestone  ............................................................         11 

16.  Shale,  with  a  little  thin-bedded  limestone  ..................................  2       5  * 

16.  Argillaceous  limestone  ........................................  .......  4       2 

17.  Limestone  and  a  little  shale  .....................  •  ........................  1       8 

18.  Shale  ................................................................         11 

19.  Limestone  ..................................................  .  .......  3 

20.  Shale  ................................................................  9 

21.  Limestone  ............................................................  1 

22.  Thin-bedded  limestone,  with  chert  ........................................  5 

23.  Limestone,  a  little  cherty  ...............  .  ...............................  1 

24.  Chert  ...............................................................  4 

25.  Limestone  ............................................................  2       1 

26.  Shale,  with  thin  layers  of  limestone  ......................................  7 

27.  Limestone,  very  cherty,  to  the  water  ......................................  8 


39       2 

All  below  No.  4  belongs  to  the  Keokuk.  The  thickness  of  these  strata  are 
quite  variable,  but  this  section  serves  to  give  a  general  idea  of  their  lithological 
character  in  this  region.  Some  idea  of  their  variableness  may  be  had  from  the 
following  section,  made  at  Shoemaker's  quarry,  which  is  but  a  short  distance  from 
this  point : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  St.  Louis  beds 3  8 

2.  Limestone 2  7 

3.  Shale 1  9 

4.  Limestone,  very  shaly 8 

5.  Limestone 2  11 

6.  Shale 7 

7.  Limestone ? 

Lower  than  this,  the  quarry  was  not  worked,  and  the  rock  was  not  exposed. 
This  quarry  lies  near  the  top  of  the  bluff,  and  corresponds  very  nearly  with  the 
upper  part  of  the  other  section.  North  of  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  South 
Henderson,  this  limestone  is  not  exposed,  and  probably  thins  out  rapidly  in 
that  direction,  as  the  Burlington  limestone  appears  but  a  few  miles  north  of  this 
on  South  Smith  creek. 


HENDERSON    COUNTY.  281 

Fossils. — The  beds  of  this  limestone  that  are  found  in  this  county,  though 
not  as  rich  in  organic  remains  as  at  other  localities,  furnish  some  interesting 
specimens.  They  seem  to  have  been  deposited  in  a  quiet  ocean,  where  the 
beautiful  crinoid  and  the  delicate  bryozoan  abounded,  and  considerable  por- 
tions of  the  limestone  are  thickly  covered  with  the  finely  preserved  skeletons  of 
these  organic  forms.  Indeed,  these  waters  must  have  teemed  with  animal  life, 
for  not  only  the  shales  are  full  of  their  remains,  but  the  solid  limestone  itself 
is  largely  composed  of  them.  Numerous  fish  swam  these  seas  in  those  early 
days,  as  the  teeth  and  spines  they  have  left,  as  a  record,  abundantly  testify. . 

Among  the  fossils  most  common  in  this  limestone,  are  the  following :  Spiri- 
fer  neglectus.  S.  Keokuk,  S.  lineatus,  Hemipronites  crenistria,  Productus  Wortheni, 
P.  punctatus,  ZapTirentis  Dalii,  and  an  undescribed  Chsetetes.  Of  the  crinoidea 
most  worthy  of  mention,  is  the  Barycrinus  magnificm.  Nearly  all  the  plates  of 
a  full  grown  individual,  together  with  a  portion  of  the  arms  and  stem,  I  ob- 
tained near  Biggsville.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  largest  crinoid  yet  found  in 
this  State. 

Burlington  Limestone. — This  formation,  which  underlies  the  Keokuk  lime- 
stone, outcrops  near  Dallas  City,  in  section  36,  township  8,  range  7,  along  the 
river  bank.  The  quarries  lie  but  little  above  the  river,  and  are  overflowed  at 
high  water.  Higher  up  in  the  bluff,  the  Keokuk  beds  appear.  Proceeding 
along  the  bluff  road,  there  is  an  outcrop  of  the  Burlington  beds,  near  the  divi- 
ding line  between  sections  28  and  29,  township  8,  range  6.  Northeast  of  this,  in 
sections  22  and  23,  the  rock  again  appears,  and  is  quarried.  South  and  east 
of  here,  there  are  exposures  of  the  rock  in  sections  24,  25  and  26  ;  also  in 
sections  29  and  30,  of  township  8,  range  5,  along  Dugout  creek  and  its  tribu- 
taries. Numbers  of  the  more  common  crinoids  were  found  at  these  localities 
The  rock  here  is  considerably  cherty,  and  much  of  it  thin  bedded.  The  thin 
layers,  when  freed  from  chert,  furnish  good  material  for  lime,  and  at  most  of 
the  openings  there  are  one  or  more  layers,  a  foot  or  so  thick,  that  afford  good 
building  stone. 

Between  Dugout  and  Honey  creeks,  there  are  no  outcrops  in  the  bluff,  but 
they  commence  along  the  latter  stream,  in  section  12,  township  8,  range  6. 
Higher  up  the  creek,  we  find  outcrops  in  abundance  for  six  or  eight  miles. 
Quarries  have  been  opened  in  sections  1,  4  and  18,  township  8,  range  5;  also 
in  section  6,  township  8,  range  4.  The  rock  has  been  more  extensively  worked 
here  than  on  Dugout  creek,  and  the  layers  are  generally  thicker.  Blocks  of 
any  desirable  size,  from  one  to  two  or  three  feet  thick,  may  be  had.  Some  of 
the  layers  are  of  a  yellowish-brown  color,  others  are  tinged  with  blue,  while 
others  are  nearly  white,  or  of  a  light,  creamy  gray. 

Much  assistance  was  rendered  me  by  Messrs.  D.  Edmonds,  Jas.  Peasley  and 
M.  Nolan,  while  examining  this  region. 
—36 


282  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

North  of  this,  there  are  no  exposures  in  the  bluffs  for  several  miles.  Along 
Ellison  creek,  the  rock  does  not  appear  till  we  reach  the  east  part  of  township 
9,  range  4,  but  it  crops  out  in  several  places  on  some  of  its  branches.  It  has 
been  worked  in  sections  23  and  25,  township  9,  range  5 ;  also  in  sections  9, 
20,  21  and  29,  township  9,  range  4.  In  the  bluffs  of  North  Ellison,  section 
13,  and  of  main  Ellison,  section  24,  of  the  latter  township,  there  are  extensive 
and  valuable  quarries.  These  have  been  worked  for  a  long  time,'  and  have  fur- 
nished an  immense  amount  of  stone,  both  for  lime  and  for  building.  Most  of 
the  strata  here  are  sufficiently  thick  for  any  ordinary  use.  Section  13  affords 
an  excellent  article  of  building  stone,  the  most  of  which  is  light  colored.  That 
from  section  24,  is  largely  of  a  yellowish  or  reddish  brown,  but  otherwise  of 
good  quality.  Some  of  the  layers  are  more  or  less  arenaceous.  The  following 
section  was  made  here  : 

FEET. 

1.  Drift 10  to  30 

2.  Limestone,  with  some  layers  of  sandstone  too  little  exposed  to  be  separately  meas- 

ured    24 

3.  Shales  of  the  Kinderhook  group ? 

The  quarries  on  these  two  sections  furnish  the  principal  supply  of  building 
stone  to  the  surrounding  region  for  some  distance,  especially  to  the  south  and 
east.  At  these  localities,  fossils  are  quite  abundant,  especially  crinoids. 

At  this  place  there  is  a  dip  of  from  2°  to  3°  to  the  north  or  northeast. 
This  inclination  carries  the  beds  of  the  Burlington  below  the  surface,  and 
probably  continues  to  a  point  near  Biggsville,  from  whence  they  rise  towards 
the  north,  thus  forming  a  shallow  synclinal.  At  Biggsville,  some  forty  or  more 
feet  of  the  St.  Louis  and  Keokuk  group,  overlie  the  Burlington.  The  first 
outcrop  of  the  Burlington  to  the  north,  that  was  observed,  was  a  little  to  the 
north  of  the  centre  of  section  32,  township  11,  range  4. 

West  of  this,  the  first  exposure  of  importance  is  along  the  Mississippi  bluff, 
in  section  15,  township  10,  range  5.  A  short  distance  east  of  Sagetown,  on 
the  Chicago  and  Burlington  branch  of  the  C.,  B.  and  Q.  railroad,  there  are  ex- 
tensive quarries  owned  and  worked  by  A.  Wallbaum,  Esq.  Work  was  com- 
menced here  in  1861.  The  quarries  lie  along  South  Henderson  creek,  one  on 
either  side,  and  to  each  there  is  a  side  track  from  the  railroad.  A  section 
from  the  highest  point  in  the  openings  to  the  level  of  the  railroad  track,  gave 
the  following  section : 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Drift 20  to  25 

2.  Chert  and  clay  in  irregular  layers 10  4 

3.  Limestone  and  chert  in  thin  layers 21  10 

4.  Limestone,  mostly  good,  but  in  places  a  little  cherty 18  10 

5.  Soft  sandstone 9 

6.  Chert 8 


HENDERSON    COUNTY.  283 

Some  of  the  lower  layers  of  the  heavy  limestone  beds  furnish  a  beautiful 
stone  of  a  light  brown  or  yellowish  tint,  that  dresses  w^ll.  This  is  largely 
used  for  window  caps,  sills,  etc.  Large  quantities  of  rock  are  sent  from  here  by 
the  railroad  into  Warren,  Knox  and  Peoria  counties.  The  material  for  the 
second  class  masonry  of  the  Burlington  railroad  bridge,  crossing  the  Missis- 
sippi, was  from  these  quarries  ;  the  rest  of  the  material  coming  from  Joliet. 

Northeast  of  Sagetown,  in  section  10,  there  are  outcrops  which  furnish  con- 
siderable quantities  of  stone,  both  for  lime  and  building  purposes.  Farther  up 
the  bluff,  and  along  the  Henderson  river,  the  rock  has  been  worked  in  section 
2,  of  the  same  township  ;  also,  sections  35,  25  and  24,  township  11,  range  5. 
In  section  25,  at  Mr.  Bosler's  quarry,  I  obtained  the  following  section  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Slope,  with  outcrops  of  limestone ? 

2.  Limestone  3 

3.  Sandstone  and  chert 1       3 

4.  Limestone 6       4 

5.  Arenaceous  limestone 4 

6.  Limestone 10 

7.  Shaly  limestone  and  sandstone,  with  chert 6       3 

8.  Calcareous  sandstone,  with  chert 1       3 

9.  Shaly  limestone  6 

10.  Chert 6 

11.  Limestone 8 

12.  Chert  and  shaly  limestone 8       2 

13.  Limestone 6 

14.  Shaly  limestone  and  sandstone,  with  chert 3 

15.  Limestone 1       6 

16.  Chert 11 

17.  Slope,  with  outcrop  of  limestone 15 

In  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  25  there  are  extensive  outcrops.  At 
this  point,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Jenks,  there  is  a  crevice  in  the  rocks  known  as 
Jenks'  cave.  A  portion  of  it  has  been  destroyed  in  quarrying  the  rock,  but 
for  ten  or  fifteen  feet  from  the  entrance  it  is  from  six  to  nine  feet  high,  when 
it  suddenly  becomes  smaller.  It  has  been  penetrated  about  seventy-five  feet. 

Along  North  Smith  creek  the  beds  of  the  Burlington  limestone  form  exten- 
sive ledges.  Some  of  the  lower  and  softer  layers  having  been  worn  away  by 
the  combined  action  of  the  atmosphere  and  the  water,  the  upper  layers  are 
frequently  left  projecting,  in  some  cases,  quite  a  number  of  feet.  Quarries 
have  been  opened  in  these  ledges,  at  convenient  points,  in  sections  19,  20  and 
21,  township  11,  range  4.  Considerable  of  the  rock  at  these  quarries  has  a 
yellow  or  reddish  brown  color,  other  portions  are  light-colored,  and  make  a 
very  pretty  building  material.  In  section  19,  on  the  north  side  of  the  creek, 
where  the  Drift  had  been  removed  so  as  to  expose  the  upper  surface  of  the 


284  GEOLOGY    OF    ILLINOIS. 

rocks,  they  presented  that  peculiar  ground,  and  striated  appearance,  commonly 
referred  to  the  action  of  glaciers. 

North  of  this  there  are  no  outcrops  till  we  reach  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section   8.     In  section  5,  on   the  Malay  and  Russ  branches,  the  rock  again 
appears.     The  most  extensive  quarry  in  this  section  is  in  the  southwest  quar- 
ter, on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Malay.     An  ahundant  supply  of  good  building  material 
can  be  had  here. 

Along  Fall  creek,  there  are  exposures  for  two  or  three  miles  from  its  mouth. 
The  rock  has  been  most  extensively  worked  in  the  north  part  of  section  4.  It 
is  light-colored  and  compact.  In  township  12,  range  4,  sections  27  and  28, 
there  are  other  outcrops  of  these  beds.  The  strata  as  exposed  here,  commenc- 
ing below  the  drift,  gave — 

FEET. 

1.  Thin-bedded  sandstone 2 

2.  Limestone,  containing  thin  beds  of  clay,  and  towards  the  top  some  chert 12 

Some  of  the  less  common  crinoids  were  comparatively  abundant  at  this  local- 
ity, and  the  rock  here  is  mostly  thick-bedded,  light-colored,  and  when  free  from 
chert,  it  makes  good  lime. 

The  most  northerly  exposure  of  the  Burlington  is  in  section  18,  on  the  west 
and  northwest  sides  of  Bald  bluff.  Only  about  twenty  feet  are  to  be  seen  at  this 
point,  and  the  whole  mass  is  thin-bedded,  seldom  over  a  foot  in  thickness,  and 
is  composed  of  brown  arenaceous  limestone  and  sandstone.  Bald  bluff  is  a  little 
over  two  hundred  feet  high.  From  here  the  bluff  runs  back  for  several  miles 
in  nearly  an  easterly  direction.  The  Burlington  limestone,  though  not  exposed 
north  of  here,  may  exist  in  the  bluffs  for  some  distance,  where  it  probably 
thins  out. 

Fossils. — The  beds  of  this  limestone  exposed  in  Henderson  county  probably 
belong,  for  the  most  part,  to  the  upper  Burlington  division  of  the  group,  for  at. 
nearly  every  outcrop  I  obtained  more  or  less  crinoids,  all  of  which  have  been 
identified  as  belonging  to  the  upper  Burlington.  These  beds  are  exceedingly 
rich  in  fossils,  particularly  crinoidea.  Along  the  northern  shores  of  the  lower 
carboniferous  ocean  these  "stone  lilys"  flourished  in  much  greater  profusion 
than  in  any  other  known  region  ;  and  nowhere  else  have  their  remains  been 
found  in  such  abundance,  or  so  finely  preserved,  as  in  this  rock.  Though  but 
part  of  the  beds  are  found  in  this  county,  many  species  have  been  already  ob- 
tained, and  new  ones  are  still  being  found.  Other  fossils,  though  not  as 
numerous,  are  abundant,  particularly  brachiopods.  Bryozoa  are  also  found 
here,  but  not  as  abundantly  as  in  the  Keokuk  rocks.  Teeth  and  spines  of  fish 
are  not  uncommon. 

Among  the  crinoids  found  are  Actinocrinus  multiradiatus,  A.  asterius,  Batocri- 
nus  rotundus,  B.  oblatus,  B.  Christyi,  B.  wquibrachiatus,  B.  pyriformis,  B.  Verne- 
uilianus,  B.  Nashville.  B.  Konincki,  B.  Hageri,  Strotocrinus  cegilops,  S.  liratus.  S. 


HENDERSON    COUNTY.  285 

umbrosuc,  8.  aubventricosus,  8.  glyptus,  Dorycrinus  cornigerus,  D.  dicornis,  Stegano- 
crinus  pentagonus,  Platyerinus  plenus,  Zeacrinus,  species  nearly  allied  to  Z.elegans, 
Cadaster  stelliformis,  Granatocrinus  Norwoodi,  G.  Sayi  and  Pe.ntremites  elongatus. 
In  addition  to  these,  the  following  species  of  brachiopods  were  obtained  :  Spirifer 
plenus,  8.  Grimesi,  Productus  semireticulatus,  var.,  Burlingtonensis,  Ohonetes  Illi- 
noiensis,  OrtMs  Swallovi,  0.  Michelini ;  and  of  other  divisions,  Platyceras,  Metop- 
tomn  umbella,  EvacMnopom  sexradiata  and  HadrophyUum  glans.  This  is  not  a 
complete  list  of  the  fossils  of  this  group  found  in  this  county,  but  comprises  the 
most  common  forms. 

Kinderhook  Group. — This  group,  which  underlies  the  Burlington  limestone, 
is  exposed  in  but  lew  places  in  Henderson  county.  Across  the  river,  at  Bur- 
lington, the  beds  of  the  group  comprise  variable  strata  of  shales,  gritstones  and 
oolitic  limestone.  On  this  side,  the  oolitic  limestone  and  gritstone  beds  are 
wanting,  and  the  group  is  represented  by  shales  only,  which  are  commonly 
argillaceous,  though  occasionally  calcareous  or  arenaceous.  The  shale  is  usu- 
ally in  very  thin  layers,  and  of  little  or  no  value.  There  is  a  partial  exposure 
of  these  beds  in  section  24,  township  9,  range  4,  along  Ellison  creek,  which 
gives  the  following  succession,  commencing  below  the  Drift: 

FEET. 

Burlington  limestone 24 

Shales  of  Kinderhook,  to  the  surface  of  the  stream 22 

These  beds  outcrop  for  some  distance  along  the  Mississippi  bluffs,  but  are 
mostly  hidden  by  the  talus  of  the  sloping  hills.  A  short  distance  southeast  of 
Sagetown,  a  boring  was  made  a  few  years  since,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
water  for  a  distillery.  I  am  indebted  to  Squire  Rice,  of  Sagetown,  who  had 
the  work  done,  for  the  following  section: 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Chert  and  clay 40 

2.  Bluish  clay  shale 120 

3.  Black  slate  7 

4.  Bluish  clay  shale 162 

322     7 

Considerable  of  the  shale  was  calcareous,  but  did  not,  at  any  point,  become 
limestone.  At  a  depth  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  feet,  the  character  of 
the  rock  had  not  changed,  and  the  work  was  abandoned,  for  the  time,  without 
having  obtained  water.  This  work  was  commenced  in  the  Drift  at  or  near  the 
base  of  the  Burlington  limestone. 

Southeast  of  Oquawka,  these  shales  are  exposed  on  Mr.  Bosler's  farm,  at  a  lit- 
tle run,  about  twenty  feet  above  the  bed  of  Henderson  river.  Along  South 
Smith  creek,  section  24,  township  11,  range  5,  fifteen  feet  of  these  beds  may 
be  seen  between  the  Burlington  limestone  and  the  creek  bottom.  At  this 
locality,  there  is  a  band  of  calcareous  clay  shale,  from  six  to  ten  inches  thick, 
just  below  the  limestone.  These  shales,  where  exposed,  seem  to  be  destitute 
of  fossils,  none  having  been  found,  after  a  close  examination. 


286  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Economical    Geology. 

Building  Stone. — Henderson  county  has  an  abundant,  though  not  evenly 
distributed,  supply  of  building  stone.  The  Burlington  limestone,  which  out- 
crops nearly  from  one  end  of  the  county  to  the  other,  along  the  bluffs  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  also  on  the  larger  streams,  will  afford  much  the  greater  part 
of  this  supply.  The  rock  is  principally  a  light  colored,  massive,  crinoidal  lime- 
stone, which  is  but  little  affected  by  the  weather.  The  prevailing  color  is  a 
light  bluish  or  yellowish  gray.  In  some  localities,  a  portion  of  the  strata  con- 
tains considerable  oxyd  of  iron,  which  gives  the  stone  a  much  darker  brownish 
color.  It  is  tolerably  even  bedded,  in  strata  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  or 
more  in  thickness,  and  can  be  easily  and  cheaply  quarried.  A  few  good  farm- 
houses have  already  been  built  in  this  county  from  this  material,  and,  as  wealth 
increases,  it  will  probably  come  into  more  general  use  as  a  building  stone. 

The  Burlington  beds  have  been  most  extensively  worked  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  county,  especially  on  Ellison  creek  and  its  branches,  and  near  Sagetown. 
Of  the  quarries  near  the  latter  place,  the  most  important  are  those  of  A.  Wall- 
baum,  Esq.  These  have  been  opened  about  eight  years,  and  at  present  are  ex- 
tensively worked,  a  large  number  of  hands  being  employed.  Many  of  the  cul- 
verts and  the  abutments  of  the  bridges  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy 
railroad  are  built  of  material  obtained  here.  Large  quantities  of  rock  are  now 
quarried  here,  and  sent  out  of  the  county  by  this  railroad. 

The  Keoku's  limestone  furnishes  the  balance  of  the  building  stone  for  this 
county.  It  is  generally  even  textured,  dresses  well,  and  affords  strata  suf- 
ficiently thick  for  all  the  ordinary  purposes  for  which  building  stone  is  required. 
It  is  exposed  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  county,  where  it  has  been  worked  to 
some  extent,  but  the  strata  rise  to  the  north,  and  soon  run  out,  and  are  not 
again  visible  till  just  north  of  Ellison  creek,  in  township  9,  range  4.  Its 
greatest  exposure  is  at  and  near  Biggsville.  Just  west  of  town,  in  the  bluffs 
of  the  south  Henderson,  there  is  a  partial  exposure  of  these  beds  of  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  in  thickness,  a  section  of  which  has  already  been  given. 

Limestone  for  Lime. — The  largest  supply,  and  the  best  material  for  the 
manufacture  of  quicklim3,  is  furnished  by  the  limestone  beds  of  the  Burlington 
group.  At  nearly  all  the  exposures,  rock  suitable  for  this  purpose  can  be  had. 
The  light  colored  layers  are  nearly  a  pure  carbonate  of  lime.  At  some  locali- 
ties, the  quality  of  the  rock  is  much  injured  by  the  quantity  of  chcrty  nodules 
present,  which  have  to  be  removed  before  it  is  burned.  The  beds  of  the  Keo- 
kuk  also  furnish  considerable  material  for  this  purpose,  which,  when  carefully 
selected,  make  good  lime.  The  supply  of  stone,  both  for  building  and  for 
lime,  is  inexhaustible. 

The  cherty  nodules,  so  common  in  both  the  Keokuk  and  Burlington   beds, 


HENDERSON     COUNTY.  28? 

while  worthless  for  other  uses,  make  a  most  excellent  material  for  macadamiz- 
ing roads,  and  for  this  purpose,  are  much  more  valuable  than  the  limestone. 

Coal. — The  supply  of  this  useful  mineral  in  this  county,  is  very  limited.  It 
is  confined  to  one  thin  seam  which  has  been  found  only  in  sections  23  and  26, 
township  9,  range  4.  But  little  coal  has  been  mined  at  either  opening,  and 
what  has  been  taken  out,  is  reported  to  be  of  inferior  quality.  It  is  quite 
likely  that  this  seam  may  be  found  extending  from  here  to  the  south  line  of  the 
county,  at  least  in  places,  but  probably  does  not  extend  much  to  the  westward, 
unless  it  be  in  the  northern  part  of  township  8,  range  4.  Under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances,  the  amount  that  can  be  obtained  from  this  seam  in 
this  county  will  be  comparatively  small,  and  the  inhabitants  will  have  to  de- 
pend mostly  upon  more  favored  localities  for  their  supplies  of  coal.  Along  the 
line  of  the  railroad  it  may  be  obtained,  at  reasonable  rates,  from  the  coal  re- 
gion to  the  east. 

Other  Minerals. — Clay,  for  brick-making,  may  be  obtained  from  the  subsoil 
of  the  uplands,  at  convenient  points,  throughout  the  county. 

Iron  Ore. — The  variety  called  limonite,  was  noticed  at  several  localities^  but 
not  in  sufficient  quantities  to  be  of  any  importance. 

Sulphuret  of  zinc,  or  Sphalerite,  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  geodiferous 
or  concretionary  masses  of  the  Keokuk  limestone. 

Crystals  of  calcite,  (carbonate  of  lime)  are  found  in  the  different  limestone 
beds  lining  small  cavities. 

Soil  and  Agricultural  Products. — The  prairie  soil  is  a  dark  colored  loam, 
everywhere  productive  where  properly  drained  and  cultivated.  It  contains  a 
large  amount  of  humus,  which  has  resulted  from  the  growth  and  decay  of  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  matter  upon  the  surface  for  untold  ages.  The  soil  of  the 
timber  lands  or  "oak  barrens,"  is  a  clay  loam,  frequently  containing  but  a 
small  percentage  of  humus,  and  partaking  largely  of  the  nature  of  the  subsoil, 
which  usually  lies  but  a  few  inches  below  the  surface.  The  timber  found  upon 
these  lands  is  principally  red,  black  and  white  oak,  and  shell-bark  and  bitter- 
nut  hickory.  Along  the  slopes,  the  soil  is  usually  much  richer  and  darker  col- 
ored, except  near  the  top,  where  it  has  been  nearly  or  quite  washed  away,  and 
the  subsoil  appears.  Here  the  timber  is  much  more  varied  than  on  the  ridges, 
and  we  find  the  common  varieties  of  oak,  hickory  and  elm,  sugar  and  white 
maple,  linden,  wild  cherry,  black  walnut,  butternut,  red-bud,  and  several  other 
kinds.  Wild  grapes  are  abundant,  and  would  seem  to  indicate,  from  the  luxu- 
riance of  their  growth,  that  they  had  found  a  soil  adapted  to  their  wants.  A 
few  vineyards  have  been  started  along  the  bluffs  and  on  the  uplands,  which  ap- 
pear to  be  doing  well.  The  finest  orchards  in  the  county  are  found  along  these 
bluft'  lauds,  which  are  much  better  adapted  to  fruit  growing  than  those  of  the 
prairie. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


WARREN  COUNTY. 

Warren  county  contains  fifteen  xtownships,  or  five  hundred  and  forty  square 
miles,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Mercer,  on  the  east  by  Knox  and  Fulton, 
on  the  south  by  McDonough,  and  on  the  west  by  Henderson  counties.  The 
fourth  principal  meridian  passes  along  its  eastern  border,  and  it  embraces  town- 
ships 8,  9,  10,  11  and  12  north,  of  ranges  1,  2  and  3  west.  It  is  intersected  in 
the  northern  part,  from  east  to  west,  by  Main  Henderson  and  Cedar  creeks. 
South  of  this,  there  is  South  Henderson  creek,  which  rises  in  township  10, 
range  2,  and  runs  nearly  west;  while  to  the  east,  Slug  Run  rises  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  township  10,  range  1,  and  passing  south,  empties  into  Cedar  fork, 
near  the  eastern  line  of  the  county.  Cedar  fork  rises  near  the  western  boun- 
dary of  township  9,  range  2,  and  runs  a  little  to  the  south  of  east;  south  of  this  is 
Nigger  creek,  of  which  Little  Nigger  and  Swan  creeks  are  branches.  By  these 
and  a  number  of  smaller  streams,  the  county  is  well  watered,  and  its  surface 
thoroughly  drained. 

Springs  are  not  very  abundant,  but  there  are  some  which  are  large  and  valu- 
able. Good  wells  may  usually  be  obtained  at  depths  varying  from  ten  to  thirty 
feet,  but  if,  at  the  latter  depth,  water  is  not  obtained,  it  is  generally  necessary 
to  dig  sixty  feet  or  more,  or  through  the  blue  clay  of  the  Drift. 

The  larger  part  of  Warren  county  is  prairie,  but  the  prairies  are  seldom  large, 
being  divided  by  the  numerous  streams.  The  soil  is  a  dark  colored  vegetable 
loam,  differing  but  little,  in  its  general  character  and  appearance,  from  that  of 
the  adjoining  counties.  Along  the  ridges  that  skirt  the  streams,  the  soil  is  of 
less  depth,  lighter  colored  and  less  fertile.  The  subsoil  is  a  yellow  or  brown 
clay. 

Much  of  the  land  lying  along  the  water  courses,  was  originally  covered  with 
timber.  Large  portions  of  this  have  been  cut  off",  and  the  work  is  still  contin- 
ued. The  varieties  of  timber  found  here  are  nearly  the  same  as  in  Henderson 
county. 


WARREN   COUNTY.  289 


Surface     Geology. 

Two  of  the  subdivisions  of  the  Quaternary  system,  viz.,  the  Alluvium  and 
Drift,  are  found  in  this  county.  The  alluvial  deposits  are  not  extensive,  being 
confined  to  the  borders  of  the  streams,  and  are  seldom  over  half  a  mile  in  width, 
while  commonly  they  are  much  less.  The  soil  of  these  bottom  lands  is  very 
fertile,  and  consists  of  black  loam,  more  or  less  mixed  with  sand  and  gravel. 

The  Drift  covers  the  whole  surface  of  the  uplands  to  a  depth  of  from  ten  to 
eighty  feet  or  more.  These  deposits  comprise  a  series  of  yellow,  brown  and 
blue  clays,  locally  intermingled  with  sand  and  gravel.  In  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  county,  the  Drift  rests  upon  the  Kinderhook  crroup  and  Burlington 
limestone,  but  elsewhere,  as  far  as  is  known,  upon  the  Coal  Measures.  Loose 
coal  is  frequently  found  in  the  Drift,  but  this  is  no  indication  that  there  is  any 
bed  of  it  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

The  older  geological  formations  found  in  this  county,  are  the — 

Coal  Measures, 

Burlington  Limestone,  and 

Kinderhook  Group. 

The  Coal  Measures  underlie  nearly  the  whole  of  Warren  county.  Sumner 
and  the  northern  part  of  Hale  townships,  probably  embraces  the  entire  district, 
or  nearly  so,  where  they  are  not  found.  The  Coal  Measures  comprise,  in  this 
county,  various  strata  of  shales,  sandstones,  limestones,  clays  and  coal,  and 
attain  a  thickness,  in  some  parts,  of  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet.  These  strata 
rest  upon  the  Burlington  limestone,  and  where  this  is  found  near  the  surface  or 
reached  in  shafting,  no  coal  need  be  looked  for  in  deeper  explorations.  Thus 
far,  the  coal  mines  that  have  been  discovered  arc,  with  but  one  exception,  con- 
fined to  the  townships  in  ranges  1  and  2.  There  are  three  workable  coal  seams 
found  in  this  county. 

The  upper  seam  is  from  three  feet  to  three  feet  six  inches  in  thickness,  and 
has  been  found  at  but  one  locality — section  17,  township  8,  range  2.  There  is 
some  doubt  as  to  which  seam  this  may  be  referred,  as  I  was  unable  to  make 
any  measurement  of  the  strata  between  it  and  the  seam  (No.  2)  below,  but  the 
distance  is  probably  not  over  forty  or  fifty  feet  between  them,  perhaps  less.  As 
the  only  open  bank  in  this  seam  was  on  fire  when  I  was  there,  an  examination 
could  not  be  made,  or  any  specimens  of  the  coal  obtained,  but  I  have  learned  that 
the  roof  is  black  slate  and  the  floor  arenaceous  shale.  It  may  be  coal  No.  3 
of  the  Illinois  section,  and  the  coal  obtained  from  it  is  reported  to  be  of  good 
quality. 

The  next  seam,  No.  2  of  the  Illinois  section,  is  from  one  foot  eight  inches  to 
two  feet  thick,  in  this  county.  Elsewhere  it  attains  a  thickness  of  from  three 
—37 


290  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

to  five  feet.  Though  thinner,  this  seam  is  more  extensively  worked  than  either 
of  the  others.  It  is  worked  along  Cedar  creek,  on  section  19,  township  11, 
range  1,  and  sections  13,  14,  23  and  24,  township  11,  range  2.  Also,  in  the 
latter  township,  there  are  other  mines  along  Honey  Run  and  its  branches,  in 
sections  25,  35  and  36.  The  strata  were  reported  by  the  miners  to  be,  in  this 
neighborhood,  as  follows : 

FT.  IN.       FT.    IX. 

1.  Drift,  not  measured 

2.  Clay  shale  ('-soapstone") 10  to  20 

3.  Limestone 0     6 

4.  Blue  clay,  shale  and  black  slate 2  to  2     6 

5.  Coal,  No.  2  of  Illinois  section 1  8  to  2     3 

6.  Fireclay 3  to    8 

1.  Bituminous  limestone '. 2  to  6 

8.  Clay  shale  ? 

9.  Thin  coal ? 

The  coal  is  of  good  quality,  and,  though  containing  some  pyrite  (the  "  sul- 
phur" of  the  miners),  it  is  easily  freed  from  it. 

In  sections  23  and  26,  township  10,  range  1,  mines  have  been  opened.  We 
again  find  this  seam  worked  in  section  3,  township  9,  range  1.  In  this  locality 
there  is  sometimes  two  or  three  inches  of  cannel  coal  at  the  top  of  the  seam. 
South  of  this,  in  township  8,  range  1,  there  are  mines  in  sections  23  and  26. 
Though  the  coal  here  is  but  one  foot  six  inches  thick,  large  amounts  of  supe- 
rior coal  are  taken  from  these  mines. 

From  the  blufis  of  Nigger  creek,  sections  14  and  23,  the  following  section 
was  obtained,  which  gives  a  general  idea  of  how  the  strata  lie  in  this  region : 

FT. 

1.  Clay  shale 

2.  Coal,  No.  2  of  the  Illinois  section 

3.  Fire  clay 

4.  Clay  shale „ 

5.  Coal  and  black  slate 

6.  Clayshale 1 

7.  Sandstone 

8.  Clay  shale 20 

9.  Sandstone  or  arenaceous  shale 3 

10.  Arenaceous  shale 2 

11.  Clayshale 

12.  Coal 

13.  Sandstone 1 

14.  Clay  shale 

15.  Slaty  coal 

16.  Sandstone  or  arenaceous  shale 

17.  Clayshale 

18.  Coal 


WARREN    COUNTY.  291 

FEET.    IN. 

19.  Fireclay 2  3 

20.  Black  slate 3  6 

21.  Bituminous  shale 4 

22.  Fire  clay ? 

In  No.  9  of  this  section,  there  are  some  valuable  quarries.  The  rock  is 
from  six  to  seven  feet  thick  at  some  of  the  localities,  and  the  whole  of  it  is 
thick  bedded,  so  that  blocks  of  any  desirable  size  can  be  had.  There  are,  how- 
ever, large  concretions  of  a  calcareo-arenaceous  rock,  locally  called  "  flint,"  in 
the  sandstones.  One  of  these  was  taken  from  the  quarry  of  Mr.  J.  Worden, 
section  14,  that  was  about  two  and  one-half  feet  thick,  six  to  seven  wide,  and 
from  ten  to  twelve  long.  This  rock  is  very  compact,  hard  enough  to  scratch 
glass,  and  in  chloro-hydric  acid  effervesces  slightly.  It  is  not  considered  of  any 
value,  and  is  so  hard  that  when  it  occurs  in  large  masses  it  is  very  expensive 
getting  it  out  of  the  way.  At  other  localities,  this  sandstone  is  replaced  by 
arenaceous  shale. 

No.  13  of  the  section  is  locally  called  "  water  flint,"  and  is  easily  recognized, 
whenever  met  with  in  this  vicinity,  by  the  numerous  specimens  of  Stigmaria 
ficoides  present  in  it.  These  have  much  the  appearance  of  dark  brown  or  black 
roots,  and  in  some  cases  the  rock  seems  full  of  them.  This  rock  is  a  somewhat 
argillaceous  sandstone,  compact,  and  not  usually  as  hard  as  No.  9. 

No.  15  may  possibly  be  the  representative  of  coal  No.  1,  but  this  seems 
doubtful. 

In  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  23,  the  strata  appear  to  have  been  con- 
siderably disturbed,  and  at  one  place  are  tilted,  for  a  short  distance,  to  an  angle 
of  about  5°.  Not  far  from  here,  two  faults  are  to  be  seen  within  a  few  yards 
of  each  other.* 

For  some  distance  up  the  creek,  northwest,  the  strata  appear  to  have  been 
somewhat  disturbed,  and  dip  in  all  directions.  In  sections  26  and  22,  mines 
have  been  opened  and  more  or  less  work  done.  In  section  16,  the  following 
sections  were  obtained  at  points  but  a  few  rods  apart : 

No.  1.  No.  2. 

FEET.       IN.  FEET.       IN. 

1.  Coal ?  1         6 

2.  Fire  clay 8 

3.  Coal 3 

4.  Arenaceous  shale 2 

5.  Light  colored  clay  shale 1  8                               8 

6.  Dark  blue  clay  shale 4  11 

*This  appearance  has  probably  been  occasioned  by  the  undermining  of  the  strata  in  the 
erosion  of  the  creek  valley,  and  their  subsequent  displacement  by  being  crushed  downwards 
from  the  weight  of  the  superincumbent  beds.  A.  H.  W. 


292  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

No.  1.  No.  2. 

FEET.       IN.  FEET.       IN. 

7.  Sandstone 6  1         3 

8.  Black  slate 8  ? 

9.  Coal  and  black  slate 3 

Several  of  the  strata  were  readily  traced  from  one  point  to  the  other,  and 
this  section  will  serve  to  illustrate  how,  in  shafts  only  a  short  distance  apart, 
the  strata  may  vary  considerably. 

West  of  this  point,  in  township  8,  range  2,  this  seam  crops  out  for  some  dis- 
tance along  Swan  and  Little  Nigger  creeks.  At  these  localities  mining  has 
been  carried  on  for  years,  and  in  places  the  bluffs  are  almost  honey-combed 
by  the  entries,  new  and  old.  The  mines  along  Little  Nigger  creek  are  mostly 
in  sections  7,  8,  9  and  10.  In  some  of  them  the  fire-clay  below  the  coal  is 
varied  in  color,  the  usual  tints  being  a  light  blue,  though  in  some  places  it  is 
nearly  white,  while  in  others  it  is  yellow  or  yellow  and  red.  It  is  said  that  on 
being  burned  the  yellow  turns  to  a  blood  red'.  Along  Swan  creek,  the  mines 
are  in  sections  15,  16  and  21.  A  little  north  of  Roseville,  in  section  30,  town- 
ship 9,  range  2,  this  seam  has  been  worked  to  some  extent. 

The  coals  of  this  county  are  mostly  worked  by  drifts,  or  tunnels  driven  hori- 
zontally into  the  hill-sides  along  the  outcrop  of  the  seams,  and  owing  to  the 
shaly  character  of  the  roof  of  No.  2,  considerable  expense  is  incurred  in  "  crib- 
bing "  to  sustain  the  roof.  The  thickness  of  the  coal  is  usually  from  twenty 
inches  to  two  feet,  and  in  driving  the  entries  it  becomes  necessary  to  remove 
a  portion  of  the  roof  shales,  or  the  under-clay,  in  order  to  obtain  the  amount 
of  vertical  space  required  to  take  out  the  coal. 

The  lower  seam,  No.  1  of  the  Illinois  section,  varies  from  two  to  four  feet  in 
thickness  in  this  county.  It  is  generally  overlaid  by  black  slate,  or  a  dark  col. 
ored,  and  frequently,  shaly  limestone.  This  forms  a  very  good  roof,  and  makes 
the  working  of  this  seam  less  expensive  than  that  of  the  seam  above,  as,  fre- 
quently, but  little  or  no  cribbing  is  required.  In  section  14,  township  12, 
range  2,  this  coal  crops  out  along  the  bluffs.  In  the  eastern  part  of  the  section, 
it  is  from  three  to  three  and  a-half  feet  thick,  and  as  it  is  here  overlaid  by  clay, 
the  upper  part  of  the  coal  is  left  for  a  roof.  That  part  that  is  left  is,  however, 
of  but  little  value,  it  being  impure. 

Flattened  nodules  of  impure  pyrite,  called  "nigger-heads"  by  the  miners, 
and  frequently  a  foot  or  so  in  diameter,  are  not  uncommon  at  some  localities  in 
the  upper  part  of  this  seam.  Many  of  these  contain  numbers  of  fossils,  which 
are  frequently  well  preserved.  Some  of  the  nodules  from  this  mine  afforded 
Productus  longispinus,  var.  muricatus,  Athyris  subtilita,  Spirifer  cameratus, 
Chonetes  mesoloba,  Spiriferina  Kentuckensis,  Hemipronites  crenistria,  Pinna 

f  Lima  retifera,  ScMzodus  curtus,  CardimorpTia  Missouriensis,  Edmondia 

ovata,  Streblopteria  tenuilineata,  Pleurophorus  radiata,  Allorisma  subcuneata, 


WARREN   COUNTY.  293 

A.  costata,  Bellerophon  Montfortianus,  Rhynchonella  Eatoniseformis^Pleurotoma- 
ria  Grayvillensis,  P.  sphserulata,  var.  depressa,  Nautilus,  and  some  others  not 
recognized. 

Of  these,  the  following  species  also  occur  in  the  upper  Coal  Measures : 
Spirifer  cameratus,  Spiri/erina  Kentuckensis,  Allorisma  subcuneata,  Aihyris  sub- 
tilita,  Edmondia  ovata,  Lima  retifera,  Schizodus  curtus,  Pleurotomaria  Grayvillensis, 
Sellerophon  Montfortianus. 

A  little  west  of  this  point  and  in  the  same  section,  the  roof  is  black  slate,  a 
few  inches  thick,  and  is  overlaid  with  limestone.  Here  the  coal  is  but  about 
three  feet  thick.  In  the  western  part  of  this  section,  the  seam  is  from  three 
and  a-half  to  four  feet  thick,  with  a  roof  similar  to  the  last.  Did  not  learn  the 
thickness  of  the  limestone,  but,  judging  from  the  exposures  in  some  old  quar- 
ries, it  must  be  several  feet.  At  these  mines,  sandstone  underlies  the  coal. 
Besides  these,  there  are  other  mines  in  this  township,  in  sections  15, 22  and  23. 

In  township  12,  range  1,  there  are  a  number  of  mines  which  probably  belong 
to  this  seam.  The  exposures  in  sections  21,  22  and  27,  showed  1  foot  6  inches 
of  coal  overlaid  by  2  feet-of  soft  clay  shale. 

There  are  also  mines  in  sections  29,  30  and  32.  As  these  are  worked  only 
during  cold  weather,  I  was  able  to  make  but  little  examination  of  them,  as  I 
visited  this  neighborhood  in  the  summer.  In  township  12,  range  2,  the  only 
mines  in  this  seam  are  in  sections  10  and  15.  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Chicken 
for  the  following  section  of  the  strata  penetrated  by  his  shaft : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Soil  and  clay,  about 4 

2.  Sandstone 5 

3.  Light  colored  clay  shale 4 

4.  Dark  blue  clay  shale 4 

5.  Compact  calcareous  clay  shale 1       6 

6.  Chert •„  1       6 

7.  Clay 2 

8.  Dark  colored  limestone 6  inch,  to  2 

9.  Coal,  average 2       8 

In  section  4,  township  9,  range  3,  the  coal  is  reported  to  be  two  feet  two 
inches  thick.  As  it  lies  below  the  bed  of  the  stream,  it  is  worked  by  means 
of  a  shaft.  A  shaly  limestone  lies  but  little  above  the  coal,  but  I  was  unable 
to  learn  whether  there  is  any  slate  between  them.  This  mine  is  just  south  of 
the  road  on  the  township  line,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  road  this  limestone 
has  been  quarried.  Here  I  obtained  Productus  longispinus,  P.  semireticulatus, 
Avicidopecten,  Naticopsis,  and  some  other  fossils. 

In  township  9,  range  1,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  24,  this  seam 
crops  out  in  the  bluffs  of  Slug  run,  on  the  Peabody  farm.  The  coal  is  about 
three  feet  thick,  and  overlaid  by  a  dark,  bluish  limestone.  About  ten  feet  be- 
low this  seam,  there  is  an  outcrop  of  the  Burlington  limestone,  but  the  inter- 


294  GEOLOGY   OF    ILLINOIS. 

vening  strata  were  not  exposed.     In  section  26,  along  Cedar  Fork,  this  coal  is 
exposed  a  little  above  the  bed  of  the  creek.     A  section  of  the  strata  gave: 

FEET. 

1.  Bluish-black  limestone 8  to  10 

2.  Black  slate 6  in.  to          2 

3.  Coal 3 

A  short  distance  up  the  stream,  there  appears  to  be  a  fault,  and  apparently 
higher  strata  are  exposed,  and  show  the  following  succession  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Clay  shale,  not  measured 

2.  Sandstone,  about 14 

3.  Coal 1       1 

4.  Fire-clay,  passing  into  clay  shale 2 

5.  Black  slate,  not  measured 

The  strata  on  either  side  can  be  traced  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  fault. 
This,  however,  is  not  exposed,  but  a  small  gulch  runs  down  the  bluff  at  the 
point  where  it  probably  exists. 

In  section  13,  township  8,  range  1,  there  is  another  outcrop  along  Nigger 
creek,  which  probably  belongs  to  this  seam.  The  exposed  strata  give  the  fol- 
lowing section : 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Clay  shale,  not  measured 

2.  Coal 10 

3.  Shale,  with  a  band  of  sandstone  about  14  feet  from  the  top 22 

4.  Sandstone 1         6 

5.  Black  slate 1         6 

6.  Coal,  with  some  slate  and  clay  shale 2  ft.  6  in.  to     3 

7.  Sandstone  and  arenaceous  shale 3        4 

8.  Coal from  1  in.  to  2 

9.  Fire-clay 1 

10.  Sandstone,  not  measured 

The  mines  at  this  place  have  been  abandoned  for  some  time.  The  coal  was 
reported  to  be  of  poor  quality,  and  mixed  with  slate. 

It  is  probable  that  everywhere  in  this  county,  this  seam  lies  but  a  few  feet 
from  the  bottom  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  wherever  the  lower  strata  are  ex- 
posed, they  rest  upon  the  Burlington  limestone.  Northwest  of  Monmouth,  in 
section  7,  township  11,  range  2,  the  rocks  exposed  in  the  bluff  of  Cedar  creek 
gave  the  following  section : 

FEET. 

1.  Slope,  containing  black  slate,  fire-clay  and  coal,  not  measured 

2.  Sandstone,  with  thin  beds  of  shale 10 

3.  Burlington  limestone,  as  far  as  exposed 33 

The  coal  mentioned  in  No.  1  of  this  section,  is  not  likely  to  prove  valuable, 
as  it  lies  too  near  the  surface. 


WARREN   COUNTY.  295 

At  or  near  Monmouth,  a  boring  was  made,  but  I  was  unable  to  obtain  a  copy 
of  the  journal  of  the  work,  though  it  waa  promised  me.  As  nearly  as  I  could 
learn,  only  about  ten  inches  of  rotten  coal  was  found.  It  is  probable  that  it 
will  be  necessary  to  go  farther  east  or  south  to  find  any  place  where  the  seain 
will  prove  workable.* 

It  is  doubtful  whether  the  lower  seam  can  be  found  underlying  No.  2  through- 
out the  county,  but  still  it  may,  and  probably  does  exist  all  along  the  eastern 
border.  At  the  outcrop  in  Henderson  county,  a  few  miles  southwest  of  Ellison, 
coal  No  2  lies  but  a  short  distance  above  the  lower  formations,  and  the  same 
may  prove  to  be  the  case  along  the  southwestern  portion  of  this  county.  Still, 
a  seam,  which  is  probably  No.  1,  is  found  but  a  short  distance  northeast  of 
Ellison.  In  searching  for  coal,  either  by  sinking  a  shaft  or  otherwise,  it  should 
always  be  borne  in  mind  that,  when  any  of  the  beds  of  Lower  Carboniferous 
limestone  are  reached,  it  is  useless  to  go  deeper  in  search  of  it. 

Burlington  Limestone. — The  beds  of  this  group  immediately  underlie  the 
Coal  Measures  in  this  county,  wherever  the  junction  of  the  coal  with  the  under- 
lying beds  can  be  seen.  In  the  south  part  of  the  county,  there  may  be  thin 
beds  of  the  St.  Louis  between  them,  and  east  of  Biggsville,  and  near  Young 
America,  the  Keokuk  may  be  present,  but  there  are  no  outcrops  where  either 
can  be  seen  beneath  the  Coal  Measures. 

The  Burlington  group,  in  Warren  county,  consists  mainly  of  light  gray  and 
brown  limestones,  with  some  layers  of  sandstone,  chert  and  calcareous  clay  shale, 
and  attains  a  thickness  of  from  forty  to  fifty  feet.  These  beds  outcrop  along 
the  small  streams  in  the  southern  part  of  township  12,  range  3.  Section  31 
furnishes  layers  of  good  building  material,  sufficiently  thick  for  all  ordinary 
purposes.  In  sections  32  and  33,  it  is  thin  bedded  where  it  has  been  worked. 
In  section  35,  at  Kockwell's  mill,  on  Cedar  creek,  the  rock  is  quite  arenaceous. 
When  the  quarries  were  first  opened  they  afforded  good  limestone,  but  on  work- 
ing into  the  bluff,  the  beds  are  changed  to  a  soft  or  rotten  sandstone.  This 
exposure  of  the  strata  gave  the  following  section  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Limestone  and  sandstone 15       6 

2.  Sandstone 17 

3.  Green,  argillaceous  sand 1 

4.  Shales  of  Kinderhook  to  the  bed  of  the  creek 17 

East  of  this,  in  sections  19,  20,  29  and  30,  township  12,  range  2,  the  Bur- 
lington limestone  outcrops  along  some  of  the  small  streams,  and  is  overlaid  by 
thin  strata  of  the  Coal  Measures.  As  far  as  exposed  here,  it  is  somewhat  arena- 


*Since  this  report  was  made,  Dr.  A.  W.  Black,  of  Monmouth,  has  sunk  a  shaft  to  the  coal, 
which  was  found  at  the  depth  of  about  forty  feet  below  the  surface.  The  shaft  is  a  little  east 
of  the  city,  and  the  coal  found  to  be  from  twenty-four  to  thirty  inches  in  thickness  and  of  excel- 
lent quality.  This  is  probably  coal  No.  2  of  the  Fulton  county  section.  A.  H.  W. 


296  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

ceous,  with  much  chert.  This  is  the  most  northerly  outcrop  of  the  group  in 
this  county,  and  in  Henderson  county  it  is  exposed  but  a  very  little  further 
north.  Thin  outliers  may  be  found  for  some  distance  in  this  direction,  beneath 
the  Coal  Measures,  but,  like  the  other  members  of  the  Sub-carboniferous  serieSj 
it  soon  thins  out. 

In  section  1,  township  11,  range  3,  there  are  extensive  quarries  in  this 
limestone.  Some  of  the  layers  are  very  light  colored  and  even  textured,  and 
are  reported  to  take  a  good  polish.  Other  layers,  though  not  as  light  colored, 
furnish  a  durable  building  material.  Much  lime  is  burned  here,  and  the  rock 
being  nearly  a  pure  carbonate  of  lime,  affords  a  good  article.  In  section  2  and 
the  northwest  quarter  of  11,  there  are  small  outcrops.  In  sections  4,  5,  and 
the  north  part  of  8,  there  are  exposures  all  along  sonic  small  streams.  The  one 
in  section  4  gave  the  following  succession  of  strata : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Chert 2 

2.  Thin  bedded  sandstone,  with  a  little  chert 7 

3.  Limestone  and  chert 1       9 

4.  Limestone 9       6 

5.  Slope  to  the  water,  with  outcrop  of  limestone , 5       6 

Much  material,  both  for  building  and  making  lime,  has  been  taken  from 
these  places.  As  we  go  south,  from  the  north  line  of  the  township,  we  find 
thin  outliers  of  the  Coal  Measures  forming  the  tops  of  the  bluffs,  till  in  section 
8  the  Burlington  beds  disappear  beneath  the  sandstone  and  conglomerate  which 
form  the  base  of  the  Coal  Measures. 

On  Cedar  creek,  from  Rockwell's  mill  in  township  12,  range  3,  to  Olmstead's 
mill  in  township  11,  range  2,  this  limestone  outcrops  almost  continuously  along 
the  bluffs,  frequently  in  perpendicular  or  overhanging  ledges.  Occasionally  it 
is  covered  by  the  sloping  talus  of  the  hills,  but  only  to  be  again  exposed  a  lit- 
tle further  on.  In  section  7  of  the  latter  township,  it  is  overlaid  by  a  few  feet 
of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  at  this  point  gave  the  following  section  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Slope,  with  outcrops  of  Coal  Measure  strata.     Not  measured. 

2.  Slope,  with  outcrops  of  Burlington  limestone 7  6 

3.  Limestone  and  chert 3  2 

4.  Compact  calcareous  clay  shale 2 

5.  Limestone 11  6 

6.  Sandstone  and  limestone,  to  the  bed  of  the  creek 8  6 

Near  the  middle  of  section  7,  on  Cedar  creek,  and  along  a  little  branch  put. 
ting  in  from  the  southeast,  there  are  extensive  quarries  in  the  bluffs,  which 
supply  Monmouth  and  the  adjoining  region  with  large  quantities  of  excellent 
building  material.  As  we  proceed  up  the  creek,  the  outcrops,  though  still 
large,  are  not  as  extensive  as  below,  being  more  frequently  covered  by  the  talus 


WARREN    COUNTY.  297 

of  the  bluffs.  In  the  east  part  of  section  7,  they  are  overlaid  by  heavy  beds  of 
Coal  Measure  sandstone.  Small  quarries  have  been  opened  at  various  points 
from  here  to  the  east  half  of  section  8,  where,  a  few  rods  south  of  the  Cedar, 
and  along  some  small  runs  that  put  into  it,  there  are  extensive  quarries.  The 
rock  obtained  here  is  mostly  taken  to  Monmouth  and  its  vicinity.  At  this 
place,  and  for  some  distance  up  the  creek,  the  bluffs  are  not  as  high  as  farther 
down,  and  the  Coal  Measure  strata  have  been  largely,  and  in  some  places  en- 
tirely removed.  From  here  to  the  middle  of  section  9,  though  occasionally 
outcropping,  the  rock  has  been  but  little  worked.  At  this  point  there  is  a 
small  quarry  on  a  run  coming  in  from  the  northeast.  Near  this,  along  a  branch 
entering  the  Cedar  from  the  south,  the  rock  has  been  almost  continuously 
worked,  from  near  the  mouth  of  the  stream  to  the  center  of  section  16.  In 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  9,  the  Burlington  limestone  disappears  beneath 
the  strata  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  does  not  again  appear  to  the  eastward, 
along  Cedar  creek. 

In  section  24,  township  9,  range  1,  the  strata  dip  to  the  north  of  west  and 
the  south  of  east,  forming  an  anticlinal.  As  only  a  few  feet  of  the  beds  were 
exposed,  I  was  unable  to  determine,  accurately,  the  direction  of  the  dip  and  the 
trend  of  the  anticlinal.  To  the  eastward,  the  Coal  Measures  thicken,  and  it  is 
not  probable  that  the  limestone  is  again  exposed. 

The  limestones  of  this  group  are  generally  rich  in  fossil  remains,  which  are 
well  preserved,  and  the  rock  is  largely  composed,  in  most  cases,  of  the  frag- 
ments of  crinoidea,  and  at  almost  every  point  where  it  is  exposed,  more  or  less 
good  fossils  may  be  obtained.  Among  the  Brachiopoda  found  here,  were 
Spirifer  Grimesi,  S.plenus,  Productus  semireticulatus,  var:  Hurlwgtonensis,  Or- 
this  Michdmi,  and  O.  Swallovi. 

The  crinoidea  are  not  as  common  as  farther  west,  but  some  fine  ones  were  ob- 
tained there,  among  which  were  Actinocrinus  rotundus,  A.  oBlatus,  Satocrinui 
Verneuilianus,  B.  Christy  i,  B.  Kbnlncki,  B.  pyriformis,  Ayaricocrinus,  Granato- 
crinus  Norwoodi,  and  Pentremites  elongatus. 

Kinderhook  Group. — The  beds  of  this  group,  which  underlie  the  Burlington 
limestone,  are,  as  far  as  exposed  in  this  county,  composed  of  shale,  with 
occasional  layers  that  are  more  or  less  calcareous  or  arenaceous,  and  compact. 
Some  of  the  more  compact  portions  might  be  used  for  building  purposes,  where 
not  exposed  to  the  weather ;  but  an  abundance  of  far  superior  building  stone 
renders  this  unnecessary.  It  seems  probable  that  but  a  few  feet  of  the  upper 
portions  of  the  group  are  exposed  at  the  different  outcrops,  but  being,  appa- 
rently, destitute  of  fossils,  it  is  difficult  to  recognize  the  beds.  At  Rockwell's 
mill,  section  35,  township  12,  range  3,  there  is  an  exposure  which  gives  this 
section  : 

—38 


298  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Burlington  limestone. , 32      6 

2.  Compact,  calcareous  clay  shale,  from  6  inches  to 1 

3.  Blue  clay  shale,  to  the  level  of  the  creek 16 

In  the  south  part  of  section  15,  there  is  another  outcrop  of  a  few  feet  along  a 
small  branch,  and  in  section  9  there  is  an  exposure  of  shale  which  probably 
belongs  to  the  Kinderhook.  At  this  point,  one  or  two  shafts  have  been  sunk, 
for  a  short  distance,  in  search  of  coal.  It  is  reported  that  the  water  came  in 
so  fast  that  the  work  was  suspended,  without,  of  course,  having  found  any  indi- 
cations of  coal. 

North  of  here,  the  beds  of  this  group  are  not  exposed,  but  may  extend  for 
some  distance  in  that  direction  beneath  the  Coal  Measures,  but,  like  the  other 
members  of  the  lower  Carboniferous  series,  this  group  also  soon  thins  out. 
There  were  no  fossils  found  in  these  beds  at  any  point  in  the  county. 

As  these  shales  very  closely  resemble  those  of  the  Coal  Measures,  those 
unacquainted  with  geology  will  be  very  likely  to  mistake  them  for  the  latter. 
This  has  been  done  at  nearly  every  exposure,  though,  as  far  as  1  learned,  but 
little  time  had  been  spent  in  examinations.  Notwithstanding  all  that  experi- 
enced coal-miners  may  say  to  the  contrary,  it  is  useless  to  search  for  coal  in  the 
shales  of  the  Kinderhook  group. 


Economical      Geology. 

Goal. — The  supply  of  this  valuable  mineral  is  mostly  obtained  from  seams 
Nos.  1  and  2,  the  upper  bed,  No.  3,  affording  but  a  small  amount.  Coal  No.  2, 
though  thinner  at  most  places  than  No.  1,  is  more  extensively  worked,  as  it  is 
generally  more  easily  got  at,  and  affords  an  excellent  quality  of  coal.  This  seam 
has  been  worked  principally  in  townships  8,  9  and  11,  ranges  1  and  2.  At 
most  of  the  mines,  there  is  more  or  less  sulphuret  of  iron  mixed  with  the  coal, 
which  has  to  be  separated  from  it  before  sending  it  to  market. 

The  lower  seam  is,  at  nearly  all  localities,  considerably  thicker  than  No.  2, 
and  hence  the  yield  is  much  greater.  This  coal,  though  generally  of  fair  qual- 
ity, is  not  as  good  as  that  from  the  bed  above.  It  has  been  worked  principally 
in  township  9,  range  1,  township  11,  range  2,  and  township  12,  ranges  1  and 
2.  It  probably  underlies  the  whole  of  the  township  9,  of  range  1,  and  a  consid- 
erable portion  of  each  in  range  2,  and,  perhaps,  a  portion  of  townships  8,  9  and 
10,  of  range  3.  At  a  single  place  in  range  3,  along  the  dividing  line  between 
townships  9  and  10,  coal,  apparently  belonging  to  this  seam,  has  been  found, 
and  a  mine  opened.  The  coal  is  but  twenty-six  inches  thick  at  this  point. 

Building  Stone. — The  Burlington  limestone  furnishes  a  good  article  of  build- 
ing stone,  and  is  found  along  the  southern  part  of  township  12,  range  3,  and 


WARREN   COUNTY.  299 

the  northern  part  of  township  11,  range  3,  also  in  the  northwest  part  of  town- 
ship 11,  range  2.  From  Rockwell's  mill  for  several  miles  up  Cedar  creek,  the 
outcrops  of  these  beds  form  mural,  or  overhanging  bluffs,  from  thirty  to  forty 
feet  high.  Notwithstanding  the  immense  quantities  of  stone  taken  from  this 
region,  these  vast  ledges  appear  to  have  been  but  slightly  worked  at  a  few  points. 
These  outcrops  are  not  on  Cedar  alone,  but  along  all  the  branches  that  enter 
it  in  this  vicinity.  Nearly  all  the  rock  is  light  colored,  some  portions  being 
tinged  with  a  light  shade  of  buff,  and  others  with  blue.  It  is -compact  and 
dresses  well,  and  some  of  the  layers  afford  a  stone  susceptible  of  taking  a  good 
polish. 

The  sandstones  of  the  Coal  Measures  furnish  a  large  amount  of  valuable 
building  rock,  and  the  most  extensive  quarries  are  in  Greenbush  and  Berwick 
townships.  The  most  important  quarries  in  Greenbush,  township  8,  range  1, 
are  located  along  Nigger  creek  in  sections  14  and  15.  The  following  section 
will  show  the  thickness  and  relative  position  of  the  beds  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Coal,  No.  2  of  the  Illinois  section 1       6 

2.  Fire  clay * 3 

3.  Clay  shale 11 

4.  Coal  and  black  slate 8 

5.  Clay  shale from  1  foot  6  in.  to  2       6 

6.  Sandstone 1       6 

7.  Clay  shale from  20  ft.  2  in.  to  22 

8.  Sandstone  or  shale  "       3  ft.  9  in.  to  7 

The  quarries  are  in  No.  8  of  this  section,  and  the  rock  is  from  five  to  seven 
feet  thick  where  worked. 

The  most  important  quarries  in  Berwick,  township  9,  range  1,  are  in  sec- 
tions 14  and  15,  along  Slug  run,  and  in  sections  18  and  20,  on  Cedar  Fork. 
The  sandstone  is  much  thicker  here  than  in  Greenbush,  it  being  from  twelve 
to  fourteen  feet  thick,  and  in  some  places  more.  I  was  unable  to  ascertain  the 
position  of  the  strata  in  which  those  quarries  are,  but  it  may  be  the  same  as 
No.  8  of  the  last  section. 

i  In  section  11,  the  sandstone  forms  immense  ledges,  which  in  some  places 
overhang  the  water  ten  and  fifteen  feet.  "  Rock  House,"  as  it  is  called,  is  in 
this  section,  and  was  formed  in  some  past  time,  when  the  bed  of  the  stream 
was  considerably  higher  than  at  present,  by  the  water  cutting  a  passage  through 
a  portion  of  the  lower  strata.  In  the  denuding  process,  a  large  pillar  of  sand- 
stone was  left,  and  now  supports  the  outer  edge  of  the  upper  strata,  which 
forms  the  roof. 

In  some  localities  along  Slug  run,  this  sandstone  is  of  little  value,  as  it 
crumbles  to  pieces  by  exposure  to  the  weather.  The  quarry  stone  is  quite  soft, 
splits  readily  and  dresses  easily,  and  may  be  obtained  in  large  blocks.  In 
some  of  the  quarries,  there  is  a  bluish  calcareo-arenaceous  rock,  hard  and 


300  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

tough,  that  occurs  in  concretions.  This  makes  a  very  durable  building  stone, 
but  is  hard  to  work. 

In  section  8,  township  11,  range  3,  there  is  a  somewhat  extensive  quarry 
in  the  sandstone  below  coal  No.  1,  and  very  near  the  bottom  of  the  Coal  Meas- 
ures. A  similar  rock  was  formerly  worked  in  sections  7  and  8,  township  11, 
range  2,  along  Cedar  creek.  Besides  those  already  mentioned,  there  are  some 
smaller  quarries  in  township  9,  range  3,  township  10,  range  1,  and  township 
12,  ranges  l.and  2. 

Limestone  for  Lime. — Nearly  all  the  outcrops  of  the  Burlington  will  afford 
abundant  supplies  of  material  for  this  purpose,  and  being  nearly  pure  carbon- 
ate of  lime,  yields  an  excellent  article.  Some  of  the  Coal  Measure  limestone 
has  been  burned,  but  the  supply  from  this  source  is  very  limited.  Lime  is,  at 
present,  most  extensively  manufactured  in  section  1,  township  11,  range  3. 
Better  facilities  for  getting  fuel  for  the  kilns,  and  the  manufactured  lime  to 
market,  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  render  this  business  an  important  source  of 
wealth  to  some  portions  of  the  county. 


CHAPTER     XX. 

MERCER    COUNTY. 

Mercer  county  lies  on  the  northwestern  border  of  the  State,  and  embraces  a 
little  more  than  fifteen  townships,  or  about  five  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles. 
It  is  bounded,  on  the  north,  by  Rock  Island  county;  on  the  east,  by  Henry 
and  Knox ;  on  the  south,  by  Warren  and  Henderson  ;  and  on  the  west,  by  the 
Mississippi  river.  The  fourth  principal  meridian  passes  along  its  eastern  bor- 
der, and  it  embraces  townships  13,  14,  and  15  north,  of  ranges  1,  2,  3,  4  and  a 
part  of  5  and  6  west. 

It  is  intersected  from  east  to  west,  through  the  northern  portion,  by  Ed- 
wards river,  which,  near  the  western  border,  changes  its  course,  and,  running 
in  a  southwesterly  direction,  empties  into  the  Mississippi  about  a  mile  and  a- 
half  below  New  Boston.  A  few  miles  south  of  the  Edwards  is  Pope  creek, 
which  passes  through  the  county  in  the  same  direction,  and  enters  the  Missis- 
sippi at  Keithsburg.  In  addition  to  these,  there  are  in  the  northwest,  Eliza 
creek,  which  empties  into  Swan  lake,  and  Camp  creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Ed- 
wards ;  while  in  the  northeast  are  Parker's  run  and  another  Camp  creek,  also 
branches  of  the  Edwards.  South  of  these  is  North  Pope,  a  tributary  of  Pope 
creek,  and  in  the  southeast  are  North  Henderson  and  Duck  creeks.  These, 
together  with  some  smaller  streams,  furnish  an  abundant  supply  of  water. 

A  large  portion  of  this  county  is  prairie,  while  along  the  borders  of  the 
streams  are  the  so-called  "  barrens."  The  soil  of  the  prairie  is  usually  a  deep 
black  or  chocolate  colored  loam,  with  a  yellow  or  dark  brown  clay  subsoil.  The 
soil  of  the  barrens  is  similar  to  that  of  the  prairie,  only  lighter  colored  and  of 
less  depth,  while  along  the  upper  part  of  the  slope  it  is  of  a  light  brown  or  yel- 
lowish color,  owing  to  the  character  of  Ihe  subsoil,  which  comes  near  the  sur- 
face. In  some  portions  of  the  barrens,  there  is  but  a  thin  covering  of  soil,  and 
in  these  places  it  is  quite  light  colored,  showing  that  but  little  humus  is  present. 


302  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

Surface     Geology. 

The  surface  deposits  of  this  county  comprise  the  usual  subdivisions  of  the 
Quaternary,  Alluvium,  Loess  and  Drift.  The  most  extensive  alluvial  deposit 
is  that  of  the  Mississippi  bottom.  This  extends  along  the  whole  western  bor- 
der of  the  county,  with  a  varied  width  of  from  two  to  five  miles.  Of  this, 
that  portion  which  is  situated  in  the  northwest,  and  extends  as  far  south  as 
New  Boston,  is  much  cut  up  by  swamps,  lakes  and  bays.  Much  of  this  land 
is  comparatively  low,  and  valuable  chiefly  for  meadow  and  grazing. 

Through  a  large  portion  of  these  bottom  lands,  there  are  one  or  more  low 
ridges  of  sand.  The  soil  of  this  sandy  portion  is  of  but  little  value,  there  being 
but  few  seasons  when  it  is  wet  enough  to  produce  full  crops.  In  other  por- 
tions, the  soil  is  a  deep  black  loam  and  very  productive.  Narrow  alluvial 
belts  are  also  found  along  nearly  all  the  water  courses,  the  soil  of  which  is  very 
dark  colored,  but  more  or  less  intermingled  with  sand  and  pebbles. 

Loess. — This  deposit  is  found  capping  the  Mississippi  bluffs,  and  attains  a 
variable  thickness  of  from  ten  to  forty  feet.  It  is  a  calcareous  marl  of  light 
brown  or  buff  color,  and  generally  contains  great  numbers  of  bleached  fresh 
water  shells,  mostly  of  species  existing  in  the  streams  of  the  adjoining  region. 

Drift. — The  deposits  of  this  subdivision  comprise  a  series  of  brown  and  blue 
clays,  locally  intermingled  with  sand,  gravel  and  small  pebbles,  which  are 
spread  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  uplands,  and  underlying  the  Loess,  where 
both  are  present.  Some  large  boulders  of  igneous  or  metamorphic  rocks  lie 
scattered  in  the  valleys  of  the  water  courses,  but  they  are  not  numerous.  In 
section  9,  township  13,  range  4,  and  forming  a  portion  of  the  bluff  of  Pope 
creek,  there  are  heavy  beds  of  a  sandy  marl,  containing  some  recent  shells. 
Two  genera  were  recognized  among  the  specimens  obtained  here,  Limnea  and 
Succinea.  Some  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  of  these  beds  were  exposed,  and  they 
appear  to  underlie  the  yellow  clays  of  the  Drift,  which  form  the  subsoil.* 

The  older  geological  formations  exposed  in  this  county,  belong  to  the  Coal 
Measures  and  the  Kinderkook  group. 

Coal  Measures. — Nearly  all  the  stratified  rocks  exposed  in  this  county  belong 
to  the  Coal  Measures,  and  include  the  lower  portion  from  coal  No.  3  (?)  of  the 
Illinois  section,  to  near  the  base  of  this  formation.  They  comprise  various 

*  It  is  probable  the  beds  of  sandy  marl  here  referred  to,  are  equivalent  to  the  Post  Tertiary 
beds  of  stratified  sands,  clays,  etc.,  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapters  as  occurring  in  Mc- 
Lean, Tazewell,  Adams,  and  some  other  counties,  and  though  underlying,  and  consequently 
older  than  the  Drift,  they  have  as  yet  afforded  no  fossil  molluscs  of  extinct  species. 

A.  H.  W. 


MERCER   COUNTY.  303 

strata  of  limestone,  sandstone,  clay  shale  and  coal,  and  attain  a  thickness  of 
from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty,  or  possibly,  in  some  places,  two 
hundred  feet.  There  are  three,  perhaps  four,  seams  of  coal  worked  in  this 
county. 

The  upper  seam,  No.  3  (?)  of  the  Illinois  section,  has  been  found  and  worked 
at  but  one  point,  sections  31  and  32,  township  14.  range  2.  This  seam  is  from 
three  to  five  feet  thick,  and  the  coal  of  good  quality.  From  Mr.  Martin's 
shaft  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  32,  and  the  exposed  rocks  in  the 
bluff  below,  the  following  section  was  obtained  : 

FEET.      IN. 

1.  Drift.     Not  measured. 

2.  White  clay,  sometimes  sandy 7 

3.  Limestone,  impure 18 

4.  Coal  No.  3  (?) 3  to    5 

6.  Sandstone,  or  sandy  shale 10  "  15 

6.  Slate,  not  always  present 2 

7.  Limestone 8 

8.  Coal 1  foot  10  in.  to  26 

9.  Clay 4 

10.  Slate,  penetrated 16 

The  limestone  over  the  coal  No.  4  of  this  section,  contains  numerous  fossils, 
among  which  are  Hemipronites  crenistria,  Lima  retifera,  Productus  Nebrascen- 
sis,  Conularia,  and  several  species  of  Bryozoa. 

The  second  coal  seam,  No.  2  of  the  Illinois  section,  is,  in  this  county,  from 
one  and  a-half  to  two  and  a-half  feet  thick.  This  seam  has  been  found  in  quite 
a  number  of  places,  but  is,  at  present,  worked  at  but  two  or  three  points.  In 
sections  20  and  21,  township  13,  range  2,  it  has  been  extensively  minnd, 
though  but  one  mine,  in  section  20,  is  now  in  operation.  The  exposed  strata 
in  this  vicinity  give  the  following  section  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Coal,  No.  3  (?),  a  trace. 

2.  Sandstone,  or  sandy  clay,  about 15 

3.  Limestone,  impure  and  shaly 1  foot  2  in.  to       14 

4.  Blue  arenaceous  clay  shale 6  in.   "       1 

5.  Coal,  No.  2 2  feet          "       2     6 

6.  Blue  clay,  but  partially  exposed. 

The  sandstone,  No.  2  of  this  section,  is  light  colored  and  soft,  but  hardens 
on  exposure.  The  quarries  that  are  and  may  be  opened  at  or  near  this  locality, 
will  furnish  an  abundant  supply  of  a  fair  article  of  building  stone  for  the  sup- 
ply of  the  adjacent  region.  About  two  miles  down  North  Henderson  creek,  in 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  1 9,  there  is  an  extensive  quarry  of  sandstone 
and  conglomerate.  This  probably  lies  below  coal  No.  2,  and  near  the  base  of 
the  Coal  Measures.  The  sandstone  is  of  fair  quality,  and  can  be  had  in  blocks 
of  any  desirable  size,  and,  when  first  taken  out,  is  soft  and  easily  worked,  but 


304  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

hardens  by  exposure.  The  conglomerate,  though  of  little  value  to  the  builder, 
is  interesting  to  the  geologist  on  account  of  its  containing  a  considerable  amount 
of  the  cherts  of  the  Burlington  limestone.  These  are  almost  entirely  composed 
of  crinoid  stems  and  heads,  and  a  few  other  fossils.  As  is  commonly  the  case 
in  these  cherts,  the  fossils  are  not  often  well  preserved,  and  of  those  obtained, 
but  few  could  be  recognized,  among  which  were  Batocrinus  oblatus,  Actinocri- 
nus,  Platt/crinus  — ,  and  Spirifer  imbrex. 

In  section  32,  township  14,  range  2,  the  coal  seam  No.  2  was  formerly 
worked,  but  the  thicker  seam  above  having  been  discovered,  this  one  was 
abandoned.  In  section  33,  township  14,  range  3,  a  mine  was  opened  a  few 
years  since,  but  the  amount  of  pyrite  contained  in  the  coal  was  so  great,  that 
it  could  not  be  profitably  worked  in  competition  with  the  better  coals.  Near 
Aledo,  in  section  20,  several  banks  have  been  opened,  at  one  of  which  the  fol- 
owing  section  was  obtained : 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Clay  shale.     Not  measured. 

2.  Limestone 1  to  1  6 

3.  Clay,  passing  into  clay  shale 3  to  4 

4.  Coal  No.  2 1  foot  6  in.  to          2 

5.  Clay.     Not  measured. 

No.  2  of  this  section,  and  the  lower  portion  of  the  shale  above  it,  contains  a 
number  of  fossils,  among  which  are  Spirifer  lineatus,  Athens  subtilita,  P/euro- 
pJiorus  soleniformis,  Producftis,  etc.  In  section  8,  a  little  north  of  Aledo,  a 
mine  was  opened,  though  worked  but  little,  in  which  the  strata  presented  a  pe- 
culiar feature,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  section  : 

FEET.     IN. 

1.  Shale.     Not  measured. 

2.  Sandstone 8  to  9 

3.  Clay  shale 1   "3 

4.  Coal 8 

5.  Limestone f  6 

6.  Coal  . . , 1     6 

7.  Clay,     Not  measured. 

This  is  the  only  instance  in  which  I  have  noticed  a  stratum  of  limestone 
separating  the  coal. 

In  section  9,  there  are  extensive  quarries  in  the  sandstone,  No.  2  of  the  last 
section.  They  have  been  worked  for  years,  and  have  furnished  immense 
amounts  of  good  building  material. 

Near  Millersburg,  section  2,  township  14,  range  4,  there  is  a  mine  that  is 
worked  where  the  coal  is  from  two  to  two  and  a  half  feet  thick. 

Section  1  affords  a  sandstone  which  is  much  harder  than  that  obtained  from 
most  of  the  other  quarries.  There  is  but  a  single  layer  found  here,  and  this  is 
only  from  a  foot  and  a  half  to  two  feet  thick.  I  was  unable  to  learn  its  posi- 


MERCER    COUNTY.  305 

tion,  as  but  little  of  the  strata  above  or  below  was  exposed.     The  material  for 
the  foundation  of  the  jail  at  Aledo  was  taken  from  this  locality. 

A  little  coal  has  been  mined  in  sections  35  and  36,  township  15,  range  3. 
The  exposed  strata  here  gave — 

FT.    IN        FT.    I  N 

1.  Clay  shale.     Not  measured 

2.  Sandstone,  about 15 

3.  Blue  clay  or  clay  shale 2       to     3 

4.  Coal 1     6to     2 

5.  Clay.     Not  measured 

There  are  extensive  quarries  in  the  sandstone,  No.  2  of  this  section,  in  this 
vicinity.  Though  soft  when  taken  out,  it  hardens  by  exposure,  and  is  light 
colored  and  thick  bedded.  Much  of  the  material  for  the  walls  of  the  Aledo 
jail  was  taken  from  the  quarries  in  section  35. 

The  lower  coal  seam,  No.  1  of  the  Illinois  section,  varies  in  thickness  from 
three  to  four  feet,  and  it  is  from  this  seam  that  the  principal  part  of  the  coal 
for  the  supply  of  this  region  is  obtained.  From  the  mine  in  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  1,  township  14,  range  3,  the  following  section  was  obtained  : 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Impure,  gray  limestone 8 

2.  Flinty  limestone , 6 

3.  Blue  limestone 3 

4.  Black  slate 1  ft.  6  in.  2 

5.  Coal 1       6 

6.  Slate  or  shale 4 

7.  Slaty  coal 4 

8.  Coal 1       8 

9.  Sandy  clay.     Not  measured 

A  little  farther  west,  the  dividing  slate  in  the  upper  coal  was  reported  to  be 
four  feet  thick,  and  at  a  mine  east  of  this,  in  section  6,  township  14,  range  2, 
it  is  one  foot  and  eight  inches.  Where  it  becomes  so  thick,  the  mining  is  ren- 
dered very  expensive,  and  these  mines  have  been  abandoned  for  the  present. 
In  sections  3,  4,  5  and  6,  township  14,  range  2,  this  seam  has  been  extensively 
worked.  A  general  idea  of  the  position  of  the  strata  may  be  obtained  from  a 
section  made  at  the  mines  and  quarries  in  section  4  : 

FEET. 

1.  Impure,  drab  colored  limestone 15 

2.  Blue  limestoae 2 

3.  Coal 4 

4.  Sandy  clay.     Not  measured 

The  shaly  seam,  mentioned  above  as  dividing  the  coal  into  two  parts,  is  only 
found  at  a  few  mines,  and  is  generally  quite  thin.     The  limestone,  No.  1  of  the 
section,  is  extensively  quarried  in  sections  3,  4  and  5.     The  rock  is  mostly  in 
—39 


306  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

thin  layers,  from  two  to  eight  inches  in  thickness.  The  large  slabs  that  form 
the  roof  and  floor  of  the  cells  of  the  Aledo  jail,  were  taken  from  section  4,  and 
some  of  the  thicker  layers  were  used  for  the  walls  of  the  cells. 

The  blue  limestone,  No.  2  of  the  section,  is  of  little  or  no  value  for  building 
stone,  as  it  falls  to  pieces  on  being  exposed  to  the  weather  a  short  time.  It  is 
sometimes  burned  for  lime. 

Large  quantities  of  the  gray  or  drab  colored  limestone  are  taken  from  the 
quarries  of  H.  Boone,  Esq.,  in  section  34,  township  15,  range  2.  The  coal, 
No.  3  of  the  last  section,  is  also  worked  here. 

From  the  mines  in  section  19,  township  15,  range  3,  and  sections  23  and  24, 
township  15,  range  4,  the  following  section  was  obtained : 

FEET. 

1.  Sandstone.     Not  measured 

2.  Limestone 2  to    4 

3.  Black  slate 1  to    8 

4.  Coal 3 

5.  Clay  shale.     Not  measured 

The  black  slate,  No.  3  of  this  section,  in  some  cases  attains  a  local  thickness 
that  was  not  noticed  elsewhere  in  this  county.  A  number  of  mines  have  been 
worked  in  section  34,  township  15,  range  4.  In  section  12,  township  14,  range 
4,  there  is  a  coal  shaft  near  the  Edwards  river.  The  following  section,  obtained 
in  part  from  the  slope  above,  and  in  part  from  the  shaft,  was  furnished  me  by 
the  proprietor  of  the  shaft,  B.  C.  Taliaferro,  Esq.,  of  Keithsburg : 

FT.       FT.    IN. 

1.  CoaINo.2 1  to    1     6 

2.  Slope 12  to  15 

3.  Clay,  very  hard  and  compact 4 

4.  Quicksand  or  decomposed  sandstone 3 

5.  Clay  shale,  very  hard 23 

6.  Coal  No.  1 3     6 

7.  Impure  coal,  or  slate 6 

8.  White  clay.     Not  measured 

The  coal  obtained  from  this  mine  is  reported  to  be  of  good  quality.  A  layer 
of  sandstone  in  section  8  has  furnished  considerable  building  stone,  but  no 
work  appears  to  have  been  done  here  for  sonic  time. 

From  the  mines  in  sections  20  and  21,  township  15,  range  1,  the  following 
section  was  obtained : 

FT.    IN.       FT. 

1.  Sandstone 4  to    6 

2.  Limestone 1  to  21 

3.  Coal  No.  1 3  to    4 

4.  Sandy  clay  shale 8 

5.  Limestone 6  to    8 

6.  Coal..                                       .1  6  to    6 


MERCER    COUNTY.  307 

No.  3  of  this  section  is  supposed  to  represent  No.  1  coal.  It  very  closely 
resembles,  in  appearance  and  position,  the  coal  which  in  other  localities  in  the 
county  is  referred  to  this  seam. 

No.  6  is  reported  to  have  been  worked  in  sections  16  and  20.  None  of  the 
mines  were  in  operation  at  the  time  1  was  there,  and  I  was  unable  to  make  a 
very  satisfactory  examination  of  them.  In  section  16,  at  Captain  Sisson's  mill, 
this  seam  was  worked  by  means  of  a  shaft.  The  coal  was  reported  to  be  six 
feet  thick,  but  thinned  out  towards  the  east.  This  may  be  only  a  development 
of  No.  1  coal  in  two  divisions,  a  phenomenon  by  no  means  uncommon  in  other 
and  adjacent  counties.  As  will  be  seen  from  the  section,  these  seams  are  about 
fifteen  feet  apart,  and  nearly  half  the  intervening  strata  are  limestone.  A 
broken  coal  was  reported  to  have  been  found  in  section  1,  township  14,  range  3, 
in  digging  the  drain,  which  at  that  point  is  quite  deep,  and  this  may  corres- 
pond with  the  lower  coal  of  the  last  section. 

In  section  34,  of  this  same  township,  along  Parker's  run,  a  coal  seam  is 
worked,  which  may  belong  to  coal  No.  1,  or  perhaps  to  No.  2.  There  was  but 
one  mine  open  here,  and  in  this,  "horsebacks"  or  slips  are  numerous,  and  the 
thickness  of  the  coal  quite  variable.  The  following  section  was  made  here : 

FT.       FT.    IN. 

1.  Sandstone.     Not  measured 

2.  Limestone 2  to  3 

3.  Black  slate 2  to  2     6 

4.  Coal 2  to2     8 

5.  Sandy  clay .  5 

6.  Sandstone.     Not  fully  exposed 

This  seam  more  nearly  resembles  coal  No.  2,  as  it  is  usually  found  in  tliis 
county,  in  quality  and  thickness,  than  No.  1  ;  but  No.  2  is  seldom  overlaid  by 
black  slate  or  underlaid  by  sandy  clay,  and  both  are  common  with  No.  1. 

Kinderliook  Group. — The  only  strata  belonging  to  this  group  that  I  found 
exposed  in  this  county,  are  in  section  5,  township  13,  runge  5,  near  the  mouth 
of  Edwards  river.  Quarries  have  been  opened  at  this  point,  and  in  years  past 
much  building  material  has  been  taken  from  here.  Both  limestone  and  sand- 
stone, the  latter  containing  considerable  magnesia,  are  found  here.  These 
quarries  lie  but  little  above  the  level  of  the  Mississippi,  and  are  overflowed  at 
high  water.  But  little  work  appears  to  have  been  done  at  these  quarries  for 
some  time.  Fragments  of  fossils  were  observed,  but  nothing  perfect  enough  for 
identification  was  obtained. 


Econo-mical    Geology. 

Building  Stone. — Mercer  county  has,  in  some  parts,  an   abundant  supply 
of  this  material,  both  of  sandstone  and  limestone.     With  but  one  exception, 


308  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

the  quarries  are  in  strata  belonging  to  the  Coal  Measures.  Nearly  all  the  most 
important  sandstone  quarries  appear  to  belong  to  one  horizon,  which  is  but  a 
few  feet  above  coal  No.  2.  This  bed  is  worked  in  section  21,  township  13, 
range  2,  section  9,  township  14,  range  3,  sections  35  and  36, township  15,  range 
3,  and  in  some  other  places.  When  first  taken  out,  the  stone  is  quite  soft,  and 
is  easily  cut  into  blocks  of  any  desired  size,  but  on  exposure  becomes  harder. 
So  easily  is  this  stone  worked,  that  an  old  ax  is  frequently  used,  and  is  all  that 
is  necessary  to  dress  the  more  irregular  and  uneven  beds  into  shape,  and  is  also 
frequently  used  to  split  the  larger  ones.  These  quarries  have  been  opened 
along  the  slopes  of  the  hills  where  but  little  material  has  to  be  removed  to  reach 
the  rock,  and  when  heavy  stripping  is  required,  the  quarries  are  abandoned  and 
new  ones  opened.  Though  this  sandstone  bed  is  not  continuous,  frequently 
changing  into  sand  or  sandy  shale,  still  the  workable  portions  are  sufficiently 
extensive  to  render  the  supply  inexhaustible. 

Another  extensive  sandstone  quarry  is  in  section  19,  township  13,  range  2 
This  is  probably  below  coal  No.  2,  and  appears  to  be  near  the  base  of  the  Coal 
Measures. 

In  sections  3,  4  and  5,  township  14,  range  2,  there  are  extensive  quarries  of 
gray  or  drab  colored  limestone.  The  rock  is  mostly  quite  thin  bedded,  very  few 
of  the  layers  reaching  eight  inches  in  thickness.  It  is,  however,  largely  used 
and  much  liked.  This  bed  is  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  sepa- 
rated from  coal  No.  1,  which  lies  below  it,  by  two  feet  of  blue  limestone.  The 
quarries  of  H.  Boone,  Esq.,  in  section  34,  township  15,  range  2,  are  in  this 
bed.  Large  amounts  of  building  material  have  been  taken  from  these  quarries, 
and  still  the  rock  has  only  been  worked  back  for  a  few  feet  along  some  of  its 
outcrops. 

A  hard,  calcareo-arenaceous  rock  has  been  quarried  to  some  extent  in  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  15,  township  15,  range  3.  Building  stone  has 
also  been  obtained  from  the  Coal  Measure  rocks  at  a  number  of  other  places. 

The  Kinderhook  group  affords  a  fair  article  of  building  stone,  which  has  been 
quarried  on  section  5,  township  13,  range  5,  just  north  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Edwards  river,  and  on  the  point  of  land  formed  by  it  and  the  Mississippi.  Both 
sandstone  and  limestone  are  found  here,  and  considerable  material  has  been  taken 
out  in  times  past,  though  at  present  the  quarries  appear  to  be  nearly  abandoned. 

Limestone  for  Lime. — Some  of  the  blue  limestone,  No.  2  of  the  last  section, 
found  above  coal  No.  1,  has  been  burned,  and  produces  a  fair  article  of  lime,  but 
generally  needs  to  be  screened  before  using,  and  the  amount  thus  obtained  is 
comparatively  small. 

Coal. — Mercer  county  has  an  abundant,  though  unequally  distributed,  supply 
of  coal.  The  upper  seam,  No.  3  (?),  has  been  found  only  in  sections  31  and  32, 
township  14,  range  2.  The  coal  is  from  three  to  five  feet  thick,  and  at  the 


MERCER   COUNTY.  309 

time  I  was  there,  there  were  two  shafts  and  a  drift  bank  in  operation.  These 
mines  furnish  a  large  amount  of  good  coal.  To  the  east,  this  seam  was  reported 
to  thin  out  within  a  short  distance.  On  going  still  farther  east,  it  may  become 
thicker,  and  should  this  be  the  case,  the  seam  may  be  found  and  worked  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  county.  No  coal  has  been  discovered  from  this  point  for 
about  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  up  the  creek,  where  a  seam,  probably  coal  No. 
4,  is  worked  in  section  3  of  the  northwestern  township  of  Knox  county.  It  is 
thought  that  there  is  a  coal  seam  in  section  5  of  this  township,  lying  below 
the  bed  of  Pope  creek,  which  may  be  No.  3  (?),  and  in  that  case  it  could,  pro- 
bably, be  found  between  this  point  and  the  mines  in  township  14,  range  2,  in 
Mercer  county. 

The  next  coal  seam,  No.  2,  has  been  found  over  a  much  larger  area.  This 
seam,  however,  is  only  from  one  and  a-half  to  two  and  a-half  feet  thick.  At 
present,  the  only  mines  in  operation  are  in  section  20,  township  13,  range  2, 
section  20,  township  14,  range  3,  and  section  1,  township  14,  range  4.  This 
seam  has  been  opened  in  a  numbar  of  other  places,  but  from  one  cause  or  ano- 
ther, the  mines  have  been  abandoned  for  the  present.  The  amount  of  coal 
now  obtained  from  this  seam  is  comparatively  small,  but  in  most  places  the 
quality  is  good.  It  probably  underlies  a  portion  of  townships  13  and  14,  range 
1,  the  larger  part  of  township  13,  range  2,  and  the  northern  part  of  township 
14,  range  2,  a  little  of  the  northern  part  of  township  13,  range  3,  nearly  all 
of  township  14,  range  3,  the  northeastern  part  of  township  14,  range  4,  a  part 
of  township  15,  ranges  2  and  3,  the  northwest  part  of  township  15,  range  4, 
and  the  uplands  of  township  15,  range  5.  Although  it  has  not  been  found  in 
township  15,  ranges  4  or  5,  I  think  that  it  may  be,  from  the  fact,  that  in  or 
near  section  21,  township  16,  range  5,  Rock  Island  county,  a  two-foot  seam  of 
coal,  resembling  No.  2,  is  worked.  This  coal  is  found  but  little  above  the  bed 
of  Copperas  creek,  and  the  mines  are  only  about  three  miles  from  the  north 
line  of  township  15,  range  5.  The  coal  is  worked  both  by  drifts  and  a  shaft, 
and  is  said  to  be  of  excellent  quality.  Traces  of  coal  were  reported  to  have 
been  discovered  in  or  near  section  8,  township  15,  range  5,  and  if  so,  it  may 
belong  to  this  seam. 

The  lower  seam,  No.  1,  affords  the  larger  part  of  the  coal  now  used  in  this 
county.  It  is  from  three  to  four  feet  thick  and  underlies  a  large  area,  but  is 
most  extensively  worked  in  township  14,  ranges  2  and  3,  and  township  15, 
ranges  1,  2  and  4.  It  probably  underlies  township  13,  ranges  1  and  2,  town- 
ships 14  and  15,  ranges  1,  2,  3  and  4,  and  perhaps  a  portion  of  township  13, 
ranges  3  and  4,  and  township  15,  range  5.  Coal  No.  1  is  not  always  found 
where  No.  2  is  developed  and  its  proper  horizon  is  exposed,  as  in  some  places, 
particularly  along  the  outer  edges  of  the  coal  field,  the  lower  part  of  the  meas- 
ures were  not  deposited  very  regularly,  and  hence,  in  some  of  the  above-named 


310  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

places  coal  No.  1  may  not  be  found;  In  section  19,  township  13,  range  2,  the 
rock  at  the  quarries  has  the  appearance  of  belonging  to  the  conglomerate,  at 
the  base  of  the  Measures,  which  lies  below  coal  No.  1,  although  No.  2  is  found 
at  the  bottom  of  the  bluff  within  about  two  miles  up  the  creek,  and  the  strata 
appeared  to  be  nearly  horizontal.  At  some  of  the  mines,  the  coal  from  this 
lower  seam  is  not  of  the  best  quality,  there  being  much  slaty  material  with  it 
which  requires  to  be  sorted  out  before  it  is  sent  to  market.  This  is  not  always 
carefully  done,  and  thereby  the  value  of  the  coal,  and  the  reputation  of  the 
mine  is  much  injured. 

In  searching  for  these  lower  seams,  it  is  well  to  know  beforehand  whether 
the  Coal  Measures  are  present  and  upon  what  they  rest,  though  it  seems  proba- 
ble that  some  of  the  strata  belonging  to  the  coal  series  will  be  found  throughout 
the  county,  with,  perhaps,  the  exception,  of  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Mississippi. 

None  of  the  underlying  strata  have  been  seen  in  townships  14  and  15,  but 
the  coal  seam  worked  along  the  Edwards,  is  most  likely  the  lowest  one,  un- 
less the  lower  one  found  in  Richland  Grove,  township  15,  range  1,  should 
prove  to  be  a  different  seam.  This  lower  seam  was  recognized  with  certainty 
at  but  two  places,  about  a  mile  apart,  and  was  reported  to  be,  in  each  case, 
about  fifteen  feet  below  the  seam  supposed  to  be  No.  1,  and  it  is  not  improba- 
ble that  this  may  prove  to  be  only  a  lower  division  of  No.  1.  In  section  1, 
township  14,  range  3,  the  strata  dip  as  the  entry  runs  back  from  the  mouth 
of  the  mine,  hence  they  were  obliged  to  make  the  drain  quite  deep,  and  in  dig- 
ging this  they  found  a  broken  coal  about  fifteen  feet  below  the  one  they  work, 
which  is  probably  the  lower  division  of  the  seam. 

In  township  13,  ranges  1  and  2,  the  Coal  Measures  may  rest,  at  least  along 
the  southern  border,  upon  the  Burlington  limestone,  though  it  is  not  certain 
that  this  group  extends  as  far  north  as  this,  but  it  is  not  improbable.  Should 
it  be  present  it  will  form  a  horizon  readily  recognized,  below  which  coal  need 
not  be  looked  for,  as  the  light  colored  crinoidal,  or  even  the  brown  arenaceous 
limestone  is  very  different  in  appearance  from  the  limestones  of  the  Coal  Meas- 
ures, which  are  usually  dark  colored  and  fine  grained. 

From  the  southern  part  of  Henderson  county,  where  the  Burlington  lime- 
stone outcrops,  to  its  most  northerly  exposure  at  Bald  Bluff,  the  strata  rise 
gradually.  East  of  here,  at  the  most  northerly  exposure  of  the  junction  of 
this  group  with  the  Kinderhook,  in  section  35,  township  12,  range  3,  in  War- 
ren county,  it  is  nearly  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  Cedar  creek,  and  proba- 
bly not  less  than  forty  to  sixty  feet  above  the  Mississippi.  At  this  point  the 
whole  of  the  Burlington  rocks  appear  to  be  exposed,  and  do  not  exceed  thirty- 
five  or  forty  feet  in  thickness.  East  of  here  they  are  exposed  a  very  little  far- 
ther north,  when  they  disappear  beneath  the  Coal  Meaaures.  In  range  3,  the 
surface  of  which  is  considerably  lower  for  some  distance  than  that  of  ranges  1 


MERCER    COUNTY,  3 11 

and  2,  it  will  not  probably  be  found  north  of  section  35,  township  12.  All 
the  stratified  rocks  that  have  been  observed  north  of  this  in  this  township,  ap- 
pear to  belong  to  the  underlying  Kinderhook  group.  Hence  it  seems  probable 
that  along  some  portions  of  the  southern  border  of  Mercer  county,  the  Coal 
Measures  rest  upon  the  Kinderhook  group.  As  the  latter  is  here  composed  of 
shales  much  resembling  those  of  the  Coal  Measures,  it  will  be  very  difficult,  if 
not  impossible,  for  the  miner,  who  knows  nothing  about  geology,  to  tell  when 
he  has  reached  the  horizon,  below  which  coal  cannot  be  found,  and  he  may  dig 
or  bore  into  the  Lower  Carboniferous  beds  without  the  slightest  prospect  of 
reward  for  his  labor. 

A  much  larger  amount  of  coal  might  be  taken  out  in  this  county,  were  the 
demand  sufficient  to  warrant  it,  none  of  the  mines  being  worked  to  their  full 
capacity  at  the  present  time.  The  railroad  now  being  constructed  intersects 
the  county  from  east  to  west,  and  runs  within  three  miles  of  nearly  all  the 
mines  along  Edwards  river,  while  some  of  them  are  much  nearer,  and  those 
along  Pope  creek,  sections  31  and  32,  township  14,  range  2,  are  less  than  four 
miles  from  it.  It  is  probable  that  at  almost  any  place  between  Windsor  and 
Monroe,  a  shaft  might  be  sunk,  near  the  railroad,  and  reach  a  workable  seam 
of  coal  at  a  depth  not  exceeding  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  feet. 
This  road  once  in  operation,  new  mines  will  be  opened,  and  sections  that  are 
now  unable  to  obtain  coal  at  reasonable  rates  will  be  supplied,  while  those  who 
have  coal  lands  near  the  road  will  find  their  value  much  increased. 

Pi/rite. — This  is  a  sulphuret  of  iron,  and  the  so-called  "sulphur"  of  the 
miners.  It  is  more  or  less  mixed  with  the  coal  of  all  the  seams,  and  is  the 
great  bane  of  all  our  western  coals.  It  occurs  in  various  forms,  sometimes  in 
crystals,  and  thin  vertical  layers  disseminated  throughout  the  coal,  and  again 
in  horizontal  bands.  In  the  latter  case,  it  is  readily  separated  from  the  coal 
in  the  mines,  but  in  the  former  this  cannot  be  done.  If  much  of  it  be  present 
the  coal  is  valueless  for  blacksmithirig  purposes,  as  it  renders  the  iron  brittle. 
If  the  coal  is  to  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  iron,  the  sulphur  of  the  pyrite 
may  be  removed  by  coking.  This  mineral  is  of  no  value,  save  for  the  manu- 
facture of  copperas  (sulphate  of  iron)  and  sulphuric  acid. 

Timber,  Soil  vnd  Agriculture. — The  soil  of  the  prairie  is  a  dark  colored  or 
black  loam,  containing  much  humus,  and  everywhere  productive,  when  prop- 
erly drained  and  cultivated.  Corn  and  other  cereals  are  the  principal  crops. 
The  soil  of  those  portions  which  skirt  the  water  courses  is  usually  much  lighter 
colored,  and  of  less  depth  than  that  of  the  prairie.  Though  much  less  pro- 
ductive, it  is  better  adapted  to  some  crops,  particularly  fruits.  Nearly  all  these 
lands  were  originally  timbered,  but  large  portions  of  them  have  been  cleared, 
either  to  obtain  fuel  or  for  cultivation.  The  most  abundant  kinds  of  timber 
found  here,  and  along  the  slopes  of  the  hills  are,  white,  bur,  black,  red  and 


312  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

laurel  oak,  red  and  white  elm,  blue  and  white  ash,  bitternut  and  scaly-bark 
hickory,  sugar  and  white  maple,  wild  cherry,  and  red-bud,  with  occasionally 
black  walnut,  butternut  and  American  aspen.  In  the  creek  bottoms  there  are, 
in  addition  to  these,  honey-locust,  sycamore,  cottonwood,  ash-leaved  maple  or 
box  elder,  buckeye,  wild  plum,  thorn  and  crab  apple.  Grape  vines  and  other 
climbers  are  abundant. 

The  bottom  lands  of  the  Mississippi  are  in  part  prairie,  and  in  part  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  consisting  of  sycamore,  cottonwood,  black  wal- 
nut, butternut,  red  and  white  elm,  white  and  sugar  maple,  buckeye,  coffee  tree, 
honey-locust,  hackberry  and  the  common  varieties  of  oak,  hickory  and  ash. 
This  land  is  very  fertile,  and  produces  large  crops  of  hay,  corn,  etc. 

A  large  portion  of  townships  14  and  15,  range  6,  is  comparatively  low  land, 
and  valuable  principally  for  timber,  grazing  and  meadow.  Some  parts  of  this 
produce  immense  quantities  of  a  coarse  grass,  which  is  much  liked  by  cattle, 
and  hence  stock  growing  is  extensively  carried  on  in  some  portions  of  the 
county. 

Other  portions  of  these  bottom  lands  are  very  sandy  and  the  soil  poor,  but 
in  wet  seasons  comparatively  large  crops  may  be  raised  here  by  proper  cultiva- 
tion and  fertilizing.  Irish  and  sweet  potatoes  do  better  here  than  on  the 
prairies.  Some  portions  of  this  sandy  land  is  covered  with  a  scrubby  growth 
of  timber,  consisting  of  black-jack,  black,  white  and  red  oak,  and  shell-bark, 
and  bitternut  hickory. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

KNOX    COUNTY. 

Knox  county  comprises  a  superficial  area  of  twenty  townships,  or  seven  hun- 
dred and  twenty  square  miles.  It  is  bounded,  on  the  north,  by  Henry  county; 
on  the  east,  by  Stark  and  Peoria ;  on  the  south,  by  Fulton  ;  and  on  the  west, 
by  Warren  and  Mercer.  The  fourth  principal  meridian  passes  along  its  west- 
ern border,  and  i£  embraces  townships  9,  10,  11,  12  and  13  north,  of  ranges  1, 
2,  3  and  4  east. 

The  southeastern  part  of  the  county  is  intersected  by  Spoon  river,  which  en- 
ters it  in  township  11,  range  4,  and  passes  out  in  township  9,  range  2.  French 
and  Littler's  creeks  lie  to  the  east,  while  Haw  and  Court  creeks  with  their 
branches,  the  larger  of  .which  are  Brush,  Middle,  North  and  Sugar  creeks,  lie 
on  the  west.  In  the  northeast,  is  Walnut  creek,  a  branch  of  Spoon  river, 
while  in  the  northwest,  Cedar,  Main  Henderson  and  Pope  creeks  have  their 
origin,  and  run  to  the  westward. 

By  these,  and  some  smaller  streams,  this  county  is  well  watered.  Springs, 
though  not  numerous,  are  occasionally  found  along  the  lower  lands.  Good 
wells  may  generally  be  had  at  depths  varying  from  fifteen  to  fifty  feet. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  county  is  prairie,  but  so  numerous  are  the  streams 
that  the  prairies  are  commonly  but  a  few  square  miles  in  extent.  The  soil 
does  not  present  any  material  difference  in  appearance  from  that  of  the  other 
counties  in  this  part  of  the  State,  and  is  of  the  usual  dark  colored,  vegetable 
loam,  with  a  brown  clay  subsoil.  That  along  the  water  courses  is  generally  of 
less  depth  and  lighter  in  color. 

Surface    Geology. 

This  embraces  the  usual  subdivisions  of  the  Quaternary,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Loess,  which  was  not  noticed.  The  alluvial  deposits  are  not  extensive , 
seldom  over  a  mile  or  so  in  width,  and  commonly  much  less,  and  comprise  the 
bottom  lands  found  along  nearly  all  the  water  courses.  The  soil  is  a  dark 
colored  loam,  frequently  intermingled  with  sand  and  gravel. 

The  Drift  is  spread  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  uplands,  to  a  depth  of  from 

ten  to  sixty  feet,  perhaps  occasionally  a  little  more.     It  comprises  a  series  of 
—40 


314  GEOLOGY  OF    ILLINOIS. 

yellow  and  blue  clays,  here  and  there  mixed  with  sand  and  gravel.  Boulders 
of  igneous  and  metamorphic  rocks  are  not  uncommon  in  it,  and  may  fre- 
quently be  seen  along  the  courses  of  the  streams.  Wells  are  not  usually  sunk 
entirely  through  this  deposit,  an  abundant  supply  of  good  water  being  com- 
monly found  before  the  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures  are  reached,  though  occa- 
sionally they  go  deeper,  and  good  water  is  sometimes  obtained  in  the  Coal 
Measures. 

All  the  stratified  rocks  exposed  in  Knox  county  belong  to  the  Coal  Meas- 
ures, and  they  comprise  a  series  of  sandstones,  limestones,  clays,  shales  and 
seams  of  coal,  and  represent  the  middle  and  lower  part  of  the  series,  from  coal 
No.  6,  of  the  Illinois  section,  to  coal  No.  1  inclusive. 

The  upper  seam,  No.  6,  is  found  principally  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  county. 
It  varies  in  thickness  from  four  to  six  feet,  and  affords  a  good  quality  of  coal. 
In  this  and  the  adjoining  counties,  it  has  a  clay  band  about  a  foot  and  a-half  or 
two  feet  from  the  bottom,  and  frequently  several  other  clay  partings,  as  the  two 
sections  given  below  will  illustrate.  No.  1  was  taken  from  a  mine  in  section 
15,  township  10,  range  4,  and  Nc.  2  from  section  32,  township  12,  range  4. 

No.  1.  No.  2. 

FEET.  IN  FEET.          IN. 

1.  Coal 2  10  18 

2.  Clay '     ito    £  i 

3.  Coal 1  1 

4.  Clay 1      "2  3 

5.  Coal , 8  6 

6.  Clay !«1  1 

7.  Coal 11  1 

No.  4  of  this  section  is  nearly  always  present,  but  is  occasionally  replaced 
by  clay  shale,  and  rarely  by  pyrite.  Partings  Nos.  2  and  6  are  quite  variable, 
always  less  than  No.  4  and  frequently  wanting  or  marked  by  a  band  of  shale 
or  pyrite.  The  principal  clay  parting,  No.  4  of  the  section,  is  largely  used  as 
a  mining  seam.  The  clay  having  been  removed  the  coal  above  is  broken  down, 
and  that  below  taken  up. 

In  the  western  half  of  township  12,  range  4,  this  coal  seam  has  been  exten- 
sively worked.  Mines  have  also  been  opened  in  sections  4,  5,  17,  18,  19,  29, 
30,  31  and  32.  A  section  of  the  strata  on  section  12,  gave : 

FEET.          IN. 

1.  Clay  shale.     Not  measured 

2.  Limestone 1  to  3 

3.  Slaty  or  clay  shale 6  in.  to  4 

4.  Coal 2  "  2       8 

5.  Clay,  mining  seam  ....,„ 2  in.  to  3 

6.  Coal 1  foot  6  in.  to  2 

7.  Clay 2  "  4 

8.  Sandstone 


KNOX   COUNTY.  315 

In  some  mines  this  coal  runs  as  thick  as  six  feet,  but  the  section  above  given 
shows  its  more  common  thickness.  At  the  mines  of  P.  Peterson,  Esq.,  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  32,  and  some  others  in  the 
vicinity,  the  coal  was  thicker  than  in  the  mines  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township.  The  overlying  limestone  is  here  quite  hard  and  durable,  and  is 
worked  somewhat  for  building  stone.  In  township  12,  range  3,  mines  have 
been  worked  in  sections  1,  10,  1,1  18,  19  and  20.  East  of  Wataga,  township 
12,  range  2,  in  sections  13,  15,  22,  23  and  24,  much  coal  has  been  taken  from 
this  seam.  From  the  mines  of  John  A.  Leighton,  Esq.,  in  section  12,  the  fol- 
lowing section  was  obtained  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1.  Clay  shale.     Not  measured. 

2.  Limestone 1  foot  6  in.  to     2 

3 .  C 1  ay 6 

4.  Black  slate 8  in.  to     2 

5.  Coal . .     4       2 

8.  Clay.     Not  measured 

The  clay  parting  here  varied  from  two  to  four  inches  in  thickness.  Near  the 
center  of  section  24,  limestone  is  found  in  considerable  quantities,  which  makes 
good  lime. 

In  township  11,  range  3,  there  are  mines  in  sections  3,  4  and  5,  and  the  coal 
is  reported  to  belong  to  this  seam,  and  to  be  from  four  to  five  feet  thick.  In 
section  15,  towHship  10,  range  4,  the  coal  appears  along  the  bluff  a  number  of 
feet  above  the  stream.  The  following  section  was  obtained  here : 

FEET.         IN 

1.  Limestone.     This  is  sometimes  replaced  by  two  feet  of  black  shale 1  to    4 

2.  Clay,  containing  limestone  nodules 6 

3.  Coal,  clay  parting  from  one  to  two  inches  thick 5     8 

4.  Clay 10  "  12 

5.  Sandstone 3  "     5 

6.  Clay  shale 8  "  12 

The  limestone,  No.  1  of  the  section,  is  worked  at  this  place,  and  the  fol- 
lowing fossils  were  obtained  from  it :  Productus  Prattcnanus,  Chonetes  Flemin- 
gii,  Yoldia  Knoxensis  ?  and  some  others  not  identified.  This  limestone  is  again 
exposed  and  worked  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  25,  township  9,  range 
4.  It  is  quite  hard  at  this  point,  and  makes  a  valuable  building  stone,  and 
being  four  feet  thick,  can  be  quarried  more  readily  than  at  most  other  locali- 
ties in  this  vicinity  where  it  is  thinner.  It  also  forms  a  good  roof  for  the  coal 
below,  there  being  but  six  inches  of  shaly  limestone  between.  This  seam  is 
worked  in  sections  23,  24,  31  and  probably  32  and  33.  There  is  also  a  mine 
in  section  35,  township  9,  range  3.  At  this  point  the  coal  is  found  high  up  in 
the  hill  and  is  reported  to  be  somewhat  rotten. 


316  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  mines  formerly  worked  by  Messrs.  Camp  and  Powell  at  Oneida,  section 
36,  township  13,  range  2,  also  belongs  to  this  seam.  The  mine  was  closed  at 
the  time  I  was  there,  so  that  I  was  unable  to  make  any  examinations.  The 
seam  was  reported  to  be  quite  thin,  but  with  the  usual  clay  parting. 

The  following  analyses  of  three  specimens  of  this  eoal  are  taken  from  the 
first  volume  of  this  report,  and  were  made  by  Dr.  Blaney,  of  Chicago  : 

Weight  of  a         •»,•  .  ,  Volatile  combusti-     n    ,  i  .1,          r>  i 

f.    f    ,  Moisture.  Carbon  in  coke.          Ashes.      Coke, 

cubic  foot.  ble  matter. 

1.  78.4855  12.0  27.2  55.2  5.6         60.8 

2.  81.5112  8.8  30.8  58.0  2.4         60.4 

3.  79.4892  11.6  29.3  55.9  3.2         51.1 

No.  1  was  from  near  the  top  of  the  seam ;  No.  2  from  just  above  the  clay 
band,  and  No.  3  from  below  this  band. 

This  seam  is  only  found  in  the  higher  portions  of  the  county,  which  are 
principally  in  the  eastern  half,  and  north  of  Spoon  river.  The  river  divides  this 
seam,  leaving  a  small  portion  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county.  Here  it 
is  found  along  Kickapoo  and  Littler's  creeks,  in  township  9,  range  4,  and 
probably  underlies  the  lands  between  the  two  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
township.  At  a  single  point  in  section  15,  township  10,  range  4,  there  are 
some  mines  that  appear  to  belong  to  this  seam.  North  of  Spoon  river  this 
seam  underlies  the  western  half  of  Victoria,  township  12,  range  4,  a  portion  of 
the  northern  and  western  parts  of  Copley,  township  12,  range  3,  and  a  part  of 
the  eastern  half  of  Sparta,  township  12,  range  2. 

At  most  of  the  mines  in  the  county,  this  coal  is  of  good  quality,  and  no 
other  seam,  unless  it  be  No.  2,  furnishes  as  good  blacksmith's  coal.  "  Horse- 
backs," or  slips,  are  not  very  numerous,  though  occasionally  occurring.  At 
present  this  is  the  most  valuable  seam  worked  in  the  county. 

The  next  seam,  No.  4  ?  of  the  Illinois  section,  usually  lies  from  forty  to  sixty 
feet  below  this  one.  As  there  is  no  place  in  the  county  where  the  two  are  ex- 
posed, I  was  unable  to  obtain  a  section  of  the  strata  between  them.  This  coal 
is  seldom  less  than  three,  or  more  than  four  feet  in  thickness.  Mines,  which 
appear  to  be  in  this  seam,  are  worked  in  sections  2  and  3,  township  13,  range 
1.  A  section  obtained  from  here  showed  : 

FEET.     IN. 

1.  Limestone 1  6 

2.  Clay  shale 8  to  10 

3.  Coal 3  "     5 

4.  Clay 3 

5.  Sandstone.     Not  measured 

These  are  the  only  coal  mines  that  have  been  opened  in  this  part  of  the 
county,  and  there  are  none  in  the  adjoining  parts  of  Mercer  and  Henry  coun- 
ties. A  mine  has  been  opened  in  this  seam  in  the  eastern  part  of  section  25, 


KNOX   COUNTY.  317 

township  12,  range  4.  No  work  was  being  done  at  the  time  I  was  here,  but 
another  mine  just  over  the  line  in  Stark  county,  was  open.  As  they  are  but  a 
short  distance  apart,  the  following  section,  which  was  taken  from  the  latter, 
will  probably  show  the  general  character  of  the  strata  : 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Limestone 3 

2.  Clay  shale 10  to  12 

3.  Coal 4  "     6 

4.  Impure  cannel  coal 6  in.  to  10 

5.  Clay.    Not  measured 

In  the  cannel  coal,  No.  4  of  this  section,  there  are  the  remains  of  fishes  and 
plants,  some  of  which  are  beautifully  preserved,  though  generally  quite  frag 
mentary. 

The  mines  along  Sugar  creek  and  its  branches,  in  township  12,  range  3,  may 
belong  to  this  seam,  or  perhaps  to  No.  6,  but  as  none  of  the  banks  were  open, 
I  could  not  make  the  necessary  examinations  to  determine  this  point.  The 
coal  furnished  by  these  mines  was  reported  to  be  of  superior  quality,  and  this 
would  seern  to  indicate  that  it  belonged  to  No.  6. 

The  mines  in  sections  9,  16  and  32,  and  along  Middle  creek  and  its  branches, 
in  the  northeast  part  of  township  11,  range  2,  also  those  in  section  25,  town- 
ship 11,  range  1,  are  probably  in  coal  No.  4,  or  possibly  in  No.  5. 

South- of  Spoon  river,  there  are  a  number  of  mines  along  Littler's  creek,  in 
sections  26,  27,  28,  34  and  35,  township  9,  range  3.  A  section  here  gave: 

FT.  IN.       FT.    IN 

1.  Black  slate 1     3  to     2 

2.  Coal 3     6  to     4     6 

3.  Fireclay 1     6  to     2 

The  mines  in  section  3,  township  9,  range  4,  and  sections  26  and  27,  town- 
ship 10,  range  4,  may  also  belong  to  this  coal,  but  the  evidence  was  quite  un- 
satisfactory. The  following  section  was  reported  from  section  26  : 

FEET. 

1.  Sandstone 3to    5 

2.  Clay  shale '. 8  to  12 

3.  Clay 2 

4.  Black  slate 2  to    4 

5.  Coal 2  to    3 

6.  Clay  shale.     Not  measured 

This  seam,  though  not  as  extensively  worked  as  No.  6,  underlies  a  much 
larger  portion  of  the  county.  It  probably  underlies  township  13,  ranges  2,  3 
and  4,  and  the  eastern  part  of  range  1. 

A  short  distance  southwest  of  Milroy,  a  thin  seam  was  reported  somewhere 
from  twenty  to  forty  feet  below  the  one  now  worked  there,  which  appears  to  be 
No.  6.  Should  this  lower  seam  be  No.  4,  it  is  much  thinner  here  than  it  is 


318  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

usually,  and  it  is  more  probably  No.  5.  It  probably  underlies  township  12, 
ranges  2,  3  and  4,  townsbip  11,  range  2,  and  the  southeastern  part  of  range  1> 
and  the  northern  borders  of  ranges  3  and  4,  perhaps  the  eastern  part  of  town- 
ship 10,  range  4,  and  township  9,  range  4,  and  the  southern  half  of  range  3. 
The  coal  from  this  seam  is  generally  of  fair  quality,  but  is  a  little  harder,  and 
not  as  well  liked  as  that  from  No.  6. 

In  township  10,  range  1,  there  is  a  coal  seam  worked  in  several  places,  which 
may  be  No.  3  (?)  of  the  Illinois  section.  The  exposed  strata  in  section  23 
showed  the  following  succession  : 

FT.  IN.        FT.    IN. 

1.  Clay  or  clay  shale,  rotten.     Not  measured 

2.  Coal 4      to  5 

3.  Sandstone  and  shale . 10      to  15 

4.  Clay  shale 1 

5.  Black  slate 6  to  1     3 

6.  Clay  shale 4 

7.  CoalNo.2 1  6  to  2     3 

8.  Fire  clay.     Not  measured 

Abundance  of  fossil  plants  were  found  in  some  portions  of  the  shale  overlying 
the  upper  coal  seam  of  this  section,  among  which  are,  Pecopteris  villosa,  P.poly- 
morpha,  Neuropteris  rarinervis,  Stigmaria  Evenii,  Sphenopteris  intermedia,  An- 
nulariq,  longifolia,  A.  sphenophylloides  and  Pinnularia  capillctcea.  A.11  these 
plants  are  found  in  connection  with  coal  No.  2  of  the  Illinois  section,  and  have 
not  hitherto  been  observed  in  connection  with  No.  3  in  this  portion  of  the 
State. 

The  lower  seam  is  considered  by  the  miners  to  be  the  same  seam  as  that 
worked  near  Avon,  ten  or  twelve  miles  southeast  of  this,  which  is  referred  by 
the  best  authorities  to  coal  No.  2.  The  upper  seam,  at  this  place,  agrees  very 
nearly  with  the  one  found  in  section  17,  township  8,  range  2  west,  in  Warren 
county.  The  lower  scam,  No.  7  of  the  section,  is  worked  in  several  places  in 
section  23,  but  the  upper  one  only  on  the  farm  of  Deacon  Andrews,  in  the  south- 
east quarter  of  the  section.  The  coal  furnished  by  this  mine  is  rather  soft, 
kindles  easily,  and  has  a  good  reputation. 

A  portion  of  the  mines  worked  in  section  10,  of  this  township,  appear  to  be 
in  this  seam.  A  section  at  this  point  gave  : 

FT.         FT. 

1.  Calcareous  clay  or  shale.     Not  measured 

2.  Coal 3  to    6 

3.  Calcareous  clay  or  shale 7  to    9 

4.  Coal 5  to    6 

6.  Blue  clay  or  shale,  about . * ....  20 

6.  Coal 2 

No.  6  of  this  section  I  consider  to  be  coal  No.  2,  and  No.  4  of  the  section 
to  be  the  equivalent  of  the  upper  coal  in  section  23.  No.  2  of  this  section  may 


KNOX   COUNTY.  319 

be  only  a  division  of  the  coal  below  it,  or  it  may  be  a  separate  seam,  perhaps 
coal  No.  3.,  The  equivalents  of  either  of  thes  seams  have  not  been  recognized 
elsewhere  in  the  county. 

Near  the  former  site  of  Dr.  E.  Hall's  mill,  ection  5,  township  13,  range  1, 
there  is  an  outcrop  of  limestone  along  Pope  creek,  close  to  the  water's  edge. 
It  is  supposed  that  there  is  a  bed  of  coal  but  a  few  feet  below  this,  but  the  mat. 
ter  had  not  been  thoroughly  tested  when  I  was  there.  Should  it  prove  to  be 
so,  it  seems  quite  probable  that  it  may  be  the  same  seam,  No.  3  of  the  general 
section,  and  the  same  as  the  upper  one  found  in  the  southwestern  part  of  town- 
ship 14,  range  2  west,  in  Mercer  county.  Much  of  the  limestone  at  this  out- 
crop is  highly  fossiliferous,  and  contains  many  well  preserved  remains.  The 
following  fossils  were  obtained  here  :  Spirifer  cameratus.  S.  planoconvexa, 
Productus  longispinus  var.  muricatus,  P.  Prattenanus,  P.  Nebrascensis,  Chonetes  mes- 
oloba,  Amcula  longa,  Aviculopecten  pellucida,  A.  carbonarius,  A.  occidentalis,  Lima 
retifera,  Nucula  parva,  Edmondia  ovata,  Entolium  aviculatum,  Allorisma  Geinitzii, 
Toldia  Knoxensisf  and  Leda  bellastriata,  Bellerophon  ellipticus,  B.  Montfortianus, 
B.  Meekianus,  B.  percarinatus,  Pleurotomaria  Grayoillensis,  P.  sphceruluta,  Macro- 
don,  Machrocheilus  inhabilis,  PolypJiemopsfe  peracuta,  P.  inornata,  Pleurophorus, 
Nautilus  and  Orthoceras  cribrosum.  Of  these,  Allorisma  Geineitzii,  Leda  bellastri- 
ata, Nucula  parva  and  Pleurophorus?  have  been  referred  by  Prof.  Geinitz  to  the 
following  European  Permian  species :  Allorisma  elegans,  Nucula  Kasanensis,  N. 
Beyrichi,  and  Pleurophorus  Pallasi.  Some  of  these  species  are  found  in  connec- 
tion with  the  lowest  coals.  (See  the  description  of  coal  No.  1  in  the  report  on 
Warren  county.)  For  the  identification  of  the  above  named  fossils,  and  for  other 
points  of  interest,  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  F.  B.  Meek. 

The  next  coal  seam,  No.  2  of  the  Illinois  section,  is  generally  from  a  foot 
and  a  half  to  three  feet  in  thickness.  This  coal  is  considered  fully  equal  in 
quality  to  that  of  any  other  seam  found  in  the  county.  In  township  12,  range 
1,  a  coal  that  appears  to  be  the  equivalent  of  this  seam,  is  worked  in  sections 
20,  21,  29,  30,  32  and  33.  The  seam  is  from  two  to  three  feet  thick,  with  from 
one  to  three  feet  of  clay  shale,  and  a  band  of  limestone  above,  and  a  floor  of 
fire  clay.  In  sections  23  and  near  the  southeast  corner  of  16,  township  11, 
range  2,  it  is  again  worked.  From  here  along  down  Court  creek  to  its  mouth, 
and  on  some  of  its  branches,  this  seam  has  been  more  or  less  worked  in  sections 
19,  22  and  23,  township  11,  range  3,  also  in  sections  13  and  35.  In  Truro, 
township  11,  range  4,  it  appears  in  or  near  the  bed  of  Spoon  river,  and  has  been 
worked  at  various  places.  From  here  there  are  outcrops  along  the  river,  at  in- 
tervals, to  near  the  south  line  of  the  county.  The  exposure  near  the  river 
.bridge,  section  12,  township  10,  range  3,  shows  the  following  succession  : 


1.  Clay  shale.     Not  measured. 

2.  Limestone 

3.  Clay  shale  


320  GEOLOGY  OP   ILLINOIS. 

FT.    IN.         FT.    IN. 

4.  Calcareous  iron  ore 2       3 

5.  Clay  shale 2       3 

6.  Limestone 6  to  9 

7.  Clay  shale 1       3 

8.  Limestone 2 

9.  Arenaceous  shale 3 

10.  Limestone 2  to  3 

11.  Clay  shale 6       6 

12.  Black  slate 3 

13.  Coal 1     S  to    3 

14.  Clay.     Not  measured  

The  limestone,  Nos.  2,  6,  8  and  10,  contain  a  greater  or  less  percentage  of 
carbonate  of  iron.  From  the  shales  and  limestones  were  obtained  Producing 
Prattenanus,  P.  Nebrascensis,  Athyris  subtilita,  Chonetes  mesoloba,  Lingula 
umbonata,  and  other  fossils. 

West  of  the  river,  in  township  10,  range  3,  this  seam  is  worked  in  sections 
8,  16,  18,  19  and  29,  also  in  township  10,  range  2,  in  sections  14,  22,  23,  25, 
26,  27,  29,  33  and  34.  In  section  33,.  along  Hog  creek,  specimens  of  "  cone-in- 
cone"  were  found  in  considerable  quantities.  West  of  this  the  coal  has  been 
found  in  sections  10,  14  and  23.  The  exposure  in  the  bluffs  of  Brush  creek,  in 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  14,  gave  : 

FT.       IN. 

1.  Sandstone.     Not  measured 

2.  Shale.     Not  measured 

3.  Black  slate.     Not  measured 

4.  Clay  shale 6       6 

5.  Coal 2       2 

6.  Clay  shale  or  clay • 3 

7.  Sandstone.     Not  measured 

Nos.  1,  2  and  3  of  the  above  sections  were  only  exposed  sufficiently  to  de- 
termine their  lithological  characters,  but  not  so  as  to  be  accurately  measured. 
The  following  section  was  obtained  in  section  10 : 

FEET. 

1.  Clay  or  shale.     Not  measured 

2.  Coal 3  to  6 

3.  Clay  or  shale 7  "  9 

4.  Coal  No.  3 5  "  6 

5.  Clayshale 20 

6.  Coal  No.  2 2 

7.  Sandstone.     Not  measured. 

Seams  that  appear  to  be  the  same  as  Nos.  4  and  6  of  this  section,  are  worked 
in  section  23,  and  the  plants  obtained  from  the  overlying  shales  of  the  upper 
bed,  are  the  same  as  are  found  elsewhere  in  connection  with  No.  2.  This 
would  indicate  that  the  lower  coal  might  be  No.  1  of  the  general  section  of  the 


KNOX   COUNTY.  321 

coal  strata  in  the  Illinois  river  valley,  as  given  in  the  third  volume  of  these 
reports,  and  that  the  others  are  the  equivalents  of  coals  No.  2  and  3  of  the 
same  section,  to  which  they  correspond  more  decidedly  in  their  general  fea- 
tures than  with  the  higher  beds.  They  are,  however,  considerably  thicker 
here  than  coals  Nos.  2  and  3  average  in  other  portions  of  the  State,  but  as  the 
local  thickening  of  the  coal  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence,  no  definite  con- 
clusion can  be  based  on  that  character  alone.  It  may  be,  however,  that  the 
lower  coal  in  the  above  section  will  prove  to  be  No.  2,  and  that  the  beds  above 
either  represent  coals  3  and  4,  or  an  unusual  local  development  and  division 
of  No.  3  only.  If  this  proves  to  be  the  true  solution  of  the  question,  it  shows 
that  the  fossil  plants  usually  found  in  the  roof  shales  of  No.  2,  also  occur  some- 
times in  connection  with  the  higher  seams. 

The  lower  coal  in  the  above  section  is  also  worked  in  township  9,  range  1, 
section  17,  and  the  mines  in  section  36  probably  belong  to  it.  The  seam  there 
is  about  three  feet  thick.  In  township  9,  range  2,  it  is  worked  in  sections  6, 

8,  9,  27  and  31.     Along  the  little  run  that  intersects  the  western  part  of  sec- 
tion 31,  a  coal  that  appears  to  be  the  same  has  been  worked  high  up  in  the 
bluff,  and  in  the  bed  of  the  run  the  lower  coal,  No.  1,  crops  out. 

No.  2  is  worked  either  by  stripping  or  drifting.  Along  the  bluffs  of  the 
streams  and  in  the  hill-sides  where  it  crops  out,  it  is  frequently  the  case  that 
but  a  few  feet  of  other  material  lies  over  it,  and  by  stripping  this  off,  large 
amounts  of  coal  are  obtained  at  a  small  expense.  At  no  place  in  the  county 
is  this  seam  worked  by  means  of  a  shaft,  but  in  those  parts  where  it  attains  a 
thickness  of  from  two  and  a-half  to  three  feet,  it  may  hereafter  be  profitably 
worked  by  this  method. 

The  lower  seam,  No.  1,  is  not  worked  to  any  extent  in  but  one  locality  in 
Knox  county,  on  section  21,  township  12,  range  1.  It  is  here  worked  by 
means  of  a  shaft,  which  is  about  thirty  feet  deep.  The  coal  is  six  feet  thick, 
but  as  much  of  the  roof  is  not  very  firm,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  coal  is  of 
inferior  quality,  from  one  to  two  feet  of  coal  is  left  to  strengthen  the  roof.  In 
section  36,  township  9,  range  1,  this  seam  has  been  found  several  feet  below 
the  bed  of  the  little  stream  that  passes  through  it.  In  section  31,  township 

9,  range  2,  it  crops  out  in  the  bed  of  a  small  run,  and  a  little  coal  has  been 
taken  out  here.     South  of  this,  and  just  over  the  line  in  Fulton  county,  the 
strata  exposed  in  the  bluff  of  Cedar  Fork  show  the  following  section  : 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Clay  shale.     Not  measured 

2.  Coal  No.  2,  about 3 

3.  Shale  and  slate 35  to  40 

4.  Coal,  upper  division  of  No.  1 10 

5    Shale 8  in.  to          1         2 

6.  Sandstone 6     "  9 

—41 


322  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

FEET.      IN. 

7.  Clay  shale 1 

8.  Black  slate   3  6 

3.  Coal  No.  1,  about 3 

None  of  the  mines  in  either  seam  were  open  when  I  was  at  this  place,  and 
hence  I  was  unable  to  measure  the  coal  accurately.  It  seems  probable  that 
this  coal,  and  also  No.  2,  underlies  nearly,  if  not  the  whole,  of  Knox  county. 

While  the  strata  of  the  Coal  Measures  dip,  locally,  in  almost  every  direction, 
they  appear  to  have  a  general  inclination  to  the  southeast,  save,  perhaps,  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  county,  and  here  I  do  not  know  the  direction.  The 
dip,  however,  is  not  regular,  but  seems  to  be  quite  undulating. 

Coal  No.  2  first  outcrops  in  the  bed  of  Walnut  creek,  in  section  17,  town- 
ship 12,  range  5,  in  Stark  county.  South  of  this  it  is  not  again  exposed,  as  far 
as  I  learned,  between  that  point  and  section  14,  township  11,  range  4,  in  Knox 
county.  From  this  point,  Spoon  river,  with  its  various  windings,  runs  to  the 
west  for  about  five  miles,  and  then  south  about  nine  miles,  from  whence  it 
passes  to  the  southwest  till  it  leaves  the  county.  From  where  this  coal  first 
appears  in  Knox  county,  it  is  occasionally  exposed  along  the  river  and  near  its 
bed  to  a  point  a  little  beyond  where  the  river  turns  south.  In  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  6,  township  10,  range  4,  it  lies  low  in  the  bed  of  the  river, 
and  is  frequently  torn  up  in  considerable  quantities  by  the  current  at  high 
water,  and  is  sometimes  worked  when  the  river  is  very  low.  Some  two  or 
three  miles  south,  near  the  bridge,  it  appears  a  little  above  the  bed  of  the  river. 
At  Burnett's  mill,  section  34,  township  10,  range  3,  the  coal  lies  some  ten  or 
more  feet  above  the  river  level,  but  southwest  of  this,  in  section  10,  township 

9.  range  3,  it  is  worked  in  the  bed  of  the  river.     In  sections  26  and  27,  town- 
ship 9,  it  again  appears,  but  how  much  above  the  bed  of  the  river  I  did  not 
learn.     A  mile  and  a-half  west  of  this  it  crops  out  along  a  branch  of  Spoon 
river,  about  fifteen  feet  above  its  bed.     South  of  here,  this  coal  is  not  worked 
along  the  river  in  this  county,  as  far  as  I  could  learn. 

Economical      Geology. 

Stone  for  Building, — Knox  county  has  but  a  limited  supply  of  good  build- 
ing stone.  Some  portions,  however,  have  sufficient  for  their  own  wants. 
North  of  Knoxville,  in  the  western  half  of  sections  16  and  21,  township  11, 
range  2,  quarries  have  been  opened  in  a  heavy  sandstone  bed.  Some  portions 
of  the  rock  do  not  appear  to  be  of  much  value,  while  others,  though  soft,  form 
a  durable  material  for  the  use  of  the  builder.  This  rock  appears  to  lie  above 
coal  No.  2,  and  is  probably  the  equivalent  of  a  similar  bed,  in  this  position,  in 
Mercer  county.  In  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  16,  there  is  a  quarry  that 
affords  an  entirely  different  rock.  It  is  a  dark  drab-colored  conglomeratej 


KNOX    COUNTY.  323 

spotted  by  darker  slate-colored  pebbles.  By  exposure  it  changes,  on  its  sur- 
face, to  a  lighter  and  yellowish  color  that  is  mellow  and  pleasing  in  its  effect. 
It  is  compact,  moderately  hard,  and  makes  a  valuable  building  stone.  The 
foundation  stone  of  the  "  fire-proof"  building  attached  to  the  court  house  in 
Knoxville,  was  obtained  from  this  locality. 

Sections  27,  33  and  34,  township  10,  range  2,  furnish  some  building  stone. 
Some  of  the  other  localities  are  section  14,  township  10,  range  3;  section  27> 
township  10,  range  4;  and  sections  21,  27,  35  and  36,  township  9,  range  3. 
Some  of  these  quarries  are  large,  and  considerable  amounts  of  material  have 
been  taken  from  them. 

The  band  of  limestone  which  lies  just  above  coal  No.  6,  and  is  from  one  to 
four  feet  thick,  has  been  considerably  worked,  when  so  exposed  as  to  be  readily 
obtained.  One  of  the  largest  quarries  in  this  limestone  is  south  of  Yates  City, 
in  section  25,  township  9,  range  4.  The  bed  is  here  four  feet  thick,  and  yields 
a  hard,  dark  drab  or  grayish-colored,  compact  rock,  which  readily  breaks  into 
blocks  of  good  shape  for  building  purposes. 

Limestone  for  Lime, — This  is  rarely  found  in  any  abundance.  In  township 
12,  range  2,  near  the  center  of  section  24,  considerable  quantities  of  limestone 
are  found,  which  is  manufactured  into  lime,  yielding  a  fair  article.  Elsewhere 
the  manufacture  has  been  attempted  only  on  a  small  scale.  For  the  most  part 
Knox  county  has  to  depend  upon  localities  more  favored  in  this  respect,  for  its 
supply  of  lime. 

Coal. — The  best  and  largest  amount  is  furnished  by  the  upper  seam,  No.  6- 
This  is  principally  worked  in  township  12,  ranges  2,  3  and  4,  and  in  townships 
9  and  10,  range  4.  This  seam  is  from  four  to  six  feet  thick,  and  at  many  of 
the  mines  it  is  comparatively  free  from  foreign  substances,  and  hence  requires 
but  little  sorting.  "  Horsebacks,"  or  slips,  which,  in  some  places  greatly  in- 
jure this  seam,  are  not  so  numerous  in  this  county  as  elsewhere.  The  coal  is 
somewhat  lighter  than  that  from  seam  No.  4,  and  is  preferred  by  blacksmiths. 

No.  4*  furnishes  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county  with  a  good  supply  of 
coal  of  a  fair  quality,  and  the  mines  in  this  seam  are  among  the  best  in  the 
county.  Nearly  all  the  coal  obtained  in  township  11,  range  2,  is,  probably, 
from  this  seam,  and  also  that  from  township  9,  range  3.  It  is  also  worked  in 
some  other  places,  and  affords  a  coal  of  good  quality,  and  harder  than  that 

*  It  is  quite  probable  that  No.  5  is  also  locally  developed  in  this  county,  but  as  there  is  no 
very  decided  features  pertaining  to  this  seam  that  will  serve  to  distinguish  it  from  No.  4,  un- 
less both  are  exposed,  it  is  very  difficult  to  decide  positively  whether  an  outcrop  of  a  single 
seam  at  about  this  horizon,  belongs  to  one  or  the  other  of  these  coals.  The  quality  of  the 
coal  it  affords  is  more  like  No.  6,  while  the  roof  shales  and  limestone  above  it,  correspond 
more  nearly  with  No.  4.  In  Fulton  county,  the  distance  between  these  coals,  when  all  three 
are  present,  is  only  about  thirty-five  feet,  and  when  No.  5  is  not  developed,  the  distance  be- 
tween Nos.  4  and  6  is  about  sixty-five  to  seventy  feet.  A.  H.  W. 


324  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

from  No.  6.  It  does  not  kindle  as  easily  but  lasts  longer,  and  for  some  pur- 
poses is  preferred. 

Coal  No.  3. — This  is  worked  in  township  10,  range  1,  and  furnishes  a  good 
coal,  and  the  larger  part  of  the  supply  for  this  section. 

The  remaining  portions  of  the  county  are  supplied  by  mines  which,  probably, 
are  in  coal  No.  2.  At  most  places  where  worked,  this  coal  is  of  excellent 
quality,  and  usually  pretty  free  from  admixture  with  other  substances.  It  is 
largely  used  for,  and  well  adapted  to,  blacksmithing  purposes.  Though  this  is 
the  thinnesl  seam  worked,  yet  the  amount  obtained  from  it  is  quite  large. 

Coal  No.  1  was  only  recognized  at  one  point  in  the  county,  on  section  21, 
township  12,  range  1. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  Knox  county  is  abundantly  supplied  with  good 
coal,  there  being  but  three  townships  in  which  coal  is  not  mined  now,  viz: 
township  13,  ranges  2,  3  and  4,  and  in  two  of  them  it  has  been  worked  for- 
merly, and  probably  not  less  than  two  workable  seams  may  be  found  in  every 
part  of  these  townships. 


CHAPTER     XXII. 


STARK    COUNTY. 

Stark  county  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Henry  and  Bureau  counties,  on  the 
east  by  Putnam  and  Marsha],  on  the  south  by  Peoria,  and  the  west  by  Knox 
and  Henry.  It  has  a  superficial  area  of  eight  townships,  or  two  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  square  miles.  It  embraces  townships  12  and  13  north,  of  range  5 
east,  and  townships  12,  13  and  14  north,  of  ranges  6  and  7  east. 

Spoon  river  intersects  the  county  from  north  to  south.  In  the  northeastern 
part  of  township  13,  range  6,  the  river  branches — the  West  Fork  passing 
through  township  14,  range  6,  and  the  East  Fork  through  township  14,  range  7. 
In  the  southern  part  of  the  latter  township,  is  Cooper's  Defeat  Creek.  In  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  county  are  Camp  and  Mud  runs,  and  in  the  southwest 
is  Walnut  creek.  Indian  creek  rises  near  the  northern  part  of  township  13, 
range  5,  and  empties  into  Spoon  river  just  above  Slackwater.  By  these  and 
some  smaller  streams,  this  county  is  well  watered.  Springs  are  occasionally 
found  along  the  lower  lands,  but  are  not  abundant.  Good  wells  may  generally 
be  had  at  depths  varying  from  fifteen  to  fifty  feet. 

A  large  portion  of  the  county  is  prairie,  but  on  account  of  the  numerous  in- 
tersecting streams,  the  prairies  usually  contain  but  a  few  square  miles  of  area. 
There  are,  however,  some  large  prairies  in  township  12  and  13,  range  7.  The 
soil  is  similar  in  appearance  to  that  of  the  other  counties  in  this  part  of  the 
State,  and  is  of  the  common  dark  colored  loam,  which,  when  properly  drained 
and  cultivated,  is  everywhere  productive.  The  subsoil  is  usually  of  a  brown  or 
yellow  clay.  The  soil  of  the  timbered  lands  along  the  water  courses  is  usually 
of  less  depth  and  lighter  in  color.  . 

Surface     Geology. 

Two  of  the  subdivisions  of  the  Quaternary  are  found  in  this  county,  Allu- 
vium and  Drift.  The  Alluvial  deposits  comprise  the  bottom  lands  found  along 
nearly  all  the  water  courses,  but  they  are  seldom  over  a  mile  in  width,  and 
generally  much  less. 


326  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  Drift,  which  comprises  a  series  of  brown  and  blue  clays,  locally  inter- 
mingled with  sand  and  gravel,  is  spread  over  the  entire  surface  of  the  uplands 
to  a  depth  of  from  twenty  to  fifty  feet,  and  perhaps  in  some  places  a  little 
more.  Boulders  of  the  older  rocks  are  not  uncommon  in  it,  and  frequently  lie 
scattered  along  the  water  courses.  These  are  most  commonly  granite,  or  be- 
long to  that  class  of  rocks  closely  related  to  it.  Wells  are  seldom  sunk  through 
this  formation,  an  abundant  supply  of  good  water  being  commonly  found  before 
the  lower  beds  are  reached. 

All  the  stratified  rocks  that  are  exposed  in  this  county  belong  to  the  Coal  Mea- 
sures, and  include  all  the  lower  portion  of  the  series,  from  coul  No.  7  to  coal 
2,  inclusive.  Lower  than  this  the  rocks  are  not  exposed. 

Coal  No.  7,  of  the  Illinois  valley  section,  has  been  found  only  at  a  few  places. 
It  has  been  worked  in  or  near  the  north  line  of  section  10,  township  14,  range  7, 
along  East  Fork.  In  section  10,  a  shaft  has  been  sunk  by  Mr.  S.  C.  Francis, 
which  affords  the  following  section : 

FEET.  IN. 

1.  Yellow  ciay  2 

2.  Red  sand  2 

3.  Limestone,  nodular 2     4 

4.  Clay,  light  colored 6  10 

5.  Clay  shale 2 

6.  Sandstone • .      8 

7.  Blue  clay  shale 4     2 

8.  Sandstone •  •  •  • 1     4 

9.  Blue  clay  shale 8 

10.  Dark  colored  clay  shale 5  8 

11.  Coal ;'.  2 

12.  Blue  clay  shale 12 

13.  Impure  limestone f,  8 

14.  Clayshale 8  0 

1 5.  Impure  limestone 2 

16.  Blue  clay  shale 1  4 

17.  Dark  colored  clay  shale 3  1 

18.  Coal. 2  7 

19.  Clay,  penetrated 1  8 

The  shaft  had  not  been  sunk  any  farther  at  the  time  I  visited  it — in  the  fall 
of  1868 — neither  had  the  coal,  No.  18  of  this  section,  been  tested.  This  coal 
appears  to  occupy  the  position  of  coal  No.  7,  and  probably  belongs  to  that  seam. 
The  coal  worked  at  the  Bradford  shaft,  which  is  but  a  short  distance  from  here, 
in  section  21,  is  thought  to  lie  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  below,  and  is  probably 
No.  6.  In  section  32,  township  10,  range  7.  this  coal  has  been  worked  a  little, 
by  stripping,  along  Mud  run. 

Coal  No.  6  is  the  principal  seam  worked  in  the  county.  It  first  appears  in 
the  bluff  of  West  Fork,  in  the  southeast  part  of  section  3,  township  14,  range  6. 


STARK   COUNTY.  327 

From  this  point  to  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  16,  it  has  been  worked 
at  intervals  along  the  west  bluff  of  the  creek.  At  the  latter  place  numerous 
openings  have  been  made  and  large  quantities  of  coal  taken  out.  The  coal 
here  crops  out  of  the  bluff  some  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  creek, 
is  four  and  a  half  feet  thick,  and  has  a  two  inch  clay  parting  near  the  middle 
of  the  seam.  In  township  14,  range  7,  section  28.  this  seam  is  worked  at  the 
Bradford  shaft,  which  is  located  on  the  east  bank  of  East  Fork,  and  near  the 
north  line  of  the  section.  I  am  indebted  to  S.  C.  Francis,  Esq.,  for  the  follow- 
ing section  of  this  shaft : 

FEET.  IN. 

1.  Yellow  clay 3 

2.  Limestone , 4 

3.  Light  colored  clay 4  6 

4.  Light  colored  clay  shale . . . , •  •  •  • 8  4 

5.  Limestone 2  4 

6.  Clay  shale 9  10 

7.  Coal 2 

8.  Soft  black  slate 4 

9.  Clay 4  5 

10.  Sandstone 22       3 

11.  Clay  shale 6 

12.  Limestone 4 

13.  Light  colored  clay  shale 6 

14.  Green  clay  shale 2      4 

15.  Dark  colored  clay  shale 3       2 

16.  Limestone,  impure 1       6 

17.  Dark  colored  clay  shale 2       6 

18.  Coal,  with  3  inch  clay  parting   3  to  5 

"  Horsebacks"  or  slips  are  very  numerous  in  this  mine,  rendering  the  work- 
ing of  it  quite  expensive. 

Near  the  junction  of  East  and  West  Forks,  and  in  the  northern  part  of  sec- 
tion 1,  township  13,  range  6,  other  shafts  have  been  sunk.  The  shaft  at  Mo- 
dena,  in  the  southern  part  of  section  1,  furnished  the  following  section  : 

FT.  IN.       FT.  IN. 

1.  Drift,  variable 

2.  Sandstone,  sometimes  not  present 1 

3.  Blue  clay 8  to  10 

4.  Clay  shale 12  to  14 

5.  Impure  blue  limestone 2 

6.  Coal 4  6  to    5     6 

West  of  this,  in  the  northern  part  of  section  4,  this  coal  appears  in  the  bed 
of  Jack  creek,  and  has  been  worked  a  little.  Farther  down  the  creek,  in  sec- 
tions 2,  11  and  12,  it  crops  out  along  the  stream,  from  eight  to  ten  feet  above 
it.  A  number  of  mines  have  been  opened  at  various  points  in  these  sections. 


328  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

Along  a  little  branch  that  enters  Spoon  river,  near  the  north  line  of  section  14, 
this  seam  outcrops  some  ten  or  more  feet  above  the  stream.  The  exposure  in 
this  locality  gave  the  following  succession  of  strata  : 

FT.    IN.      FT.    IN. 

1.  Sandstone.     Not  measured 

2.  Clay  shale  12  to  15 

3.  Impure  limestone 1  to    2 

4.  Clay  shale 1     6 

5.  Black  slate 6 

6.  Coal 2  to    4 

1.  Clay,  parting 2  to          3 

8.  Coal 1     6  to    2 

9.  Clay  or  clay  shale  3         to     4 

10.  Sandstone.     Not  fully  exposed 

The  black  slate  over  the  coal  contains  numerous  fossils,  but  mostly  imper- 
fectly preserved.  Among  those  obtained^are,  Cardlnia  fragilis?  Avicidopecten 
rectalaterarea,  Discina  nitida,  Pleurotomaria  Grayvillemis,  together  with  some 
fish  remains. 

No.  10  of  this  section  is  worked  for  building  stone,  and  affords  a  fair  article 
The  coal,  and  also  the  other  strata  for  some  distance  above  and  below  it,  are 
well  exposed  in  the  bluff. 

From  this  point,  along  the  river  and  on  the  little  runs  that  put  into  it,  the 
coal  has  been  more  or  less  worked,  until  we  reach  sections  25  and  26,  where  the 
seam  lies  some  twenty  feet  or  more  above  the  river.  In  section  26,  on  the  level 
land  and  a  little  back  from  the  river,  several  shafts  have  been  sunk.  One  of 
the  most  westerly  of  these  gave  this  section  : 

FEET.    IN. 

1 .  Soil  and  Drift 20 

2.  "Second  soil,"  black  and  very  soft 10 

3.  Clay 4 

4.  Limestone  2  to  5 

5.  Sandstone 12 

6.  Clay  shale 15 

7.  Limestone,  containing  much  pyrite 1       8 

8.  Blackslate 1       6 

9.  Coal 4  to  5 

10.  Clay. 6 

11.  Sandstone,  exposed 15 

A  short  distance  to  the  east  of  this,  and  from  about  the  same  level,  it  was 
found  necessary,  in  sinking  a  shaft,  to  go  about  thirty  feet  deeper  in  order  to 
reach  this  seam.  South  of  here,  this  coal  is  worked  in  section  23,  township 

12.  range  6,  when  it  appears  in  the  bluff  some  eight  or  ten  feet  above  the  river. 
It  is  thinner  here  than  at  the  other  mines  in  the  county,  and  the  overlying 


STARK   COUNTY.  329 

strata  are  in  part  different.      A  shaft,  sunk  a  short  distance  from  the  river, 
penetrated  strata  as  follows  : 

FEET.      IN. 

1.  Clay  and  rock,  mixed 21 

2.  Clay  shale 8 

3.  Limestone 1 

4.  Clay  shale,  with  usually  a  little  black  slate  at  the  bottom,  and  sometimes  all 

slate 1       8 

5.  Coal,  with  two  inch  clay  parting 2       6 

6.  Clay.     Not  measured 

"  Horsebacks"  are  very  common  here,  and,  together  with  the  thinness  of 
the  seam,  render  the  working  of  this  mine  very  expensive.  The  fact  that  there 
are  no  other  mines  in  this  vicinity,  alone  renders  the  working  of  this  one 
profitable. 

Coal  No.  4,  of  the  Illinois  section,  has  been  found  at  but  one  place,  section 
19,  township  12,  range  5,  where  the  following  section  was  obtained  : 

FEET.  IN. 

1.  Limestone 3 

2.  Clay  shale 10  to  12 

3.  Coal 4"     6 

4.  Cannel  coal,  impure •£  "  10 

5.  Clay.     Not  measured , 

The  cannel  coal,  No.  4  of  this  section,  contains  the  remains  of  fishes  and 
plants.  Among  the  plants  obtained  here  are  Pecopteris  arborescens,  P.  oreop- 
teridius,  P.  acuta,  P.  cheer  ophylloides,  Sphenopliyllum  Schlotheimn,  Sphenopte- 
ris  tehella,  Pinnularia  — ,  Selaginites  — ,  etc.  Among  the  fish  remains  found 
was  one  nearly  perfect  fish  belonging  to  the  genus  Paleoniscus ;  also,  teeth,  etc. 
of  a  Diplodus. 

This  cannel  coal  is  seldom  taken  up  with  the  main  coal,  and  still  less  seldom  is 
it  brought  to  the  mouth  of  the  mine;  hence,  the  amount  of  material  from  which 
I  could  collect  was  very  small.  Large  quantities.- of  a  good  article  of  coal  are 
obtained  from  this  mine. 

The  next  seam  below  this  appeared  to  be  coal  No.  2,  of  the  Illinois  section. 
From  an  exposure  in  the  bluff  of  Walnut  creek,  section  17,  township  12,  range 
5,  this  section  was  obtained  : 

FEET.  IN. 

1.  Drift.     Not  measured 

2.  Clay  and  gravel  stratified 3  to    5 

3.  Shale 45  "  50 

4.  Black  slate 2  "    4 

5.  Coal 1         6 

6.  Clay.     Not  measured 

This  coal  lies  in  the  bed  of  the  creek,  and  can  be  worked  only  at  low  water, 
most  of  it  being  covered  at  the  time  I  was  there.  As  this  was  the  only  place 

—42 


330  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

I  examined,  and  no  fossils  were  obtained  here,  this  seam  is  only  provisionally 
referred  to  No.  2  of  the  general  section.  A  similar  seam  is  reported  in  section 
17,  township  12,  range  6,  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  along  Indian  creek.  This 
outcrop  has  not  been  worked  to  any  extent. 

The  general  dip  of  the  Coal  Measure  strata  in  this  region  appears  to  be  to 
the  southeast,  though  not  uniformly,  but  rather  in  undulations. 

Coal  No.  6  first  appears  in  Stark  county  near  its  northern  line,  in  township 
14,  range  6/  Here  it  lies  above  the  creek,  and  continues  above  it  to  the  south- 
ern line  of  section  16.  From  here  it  is  not  exposed  for  several  miles  down  the 
creek.  At  Medina,  section  1,  township  13,  range  6,  it  lies  considerably  below 
the  bed  of  the  river.  About  a  mile  west  of  here  it  is  some  ten  or  more  feet 
above  Jack  creek,  a  branch  of  Spoon  river,  and  farther  down  this  creek,  and 
near  its  mouth,  the  coal  lies  but  little  above  its  bed.  Farther  south,  and  a  lit- 
tle west,  in  the  northern  part  of  section  14,  where  it  is  again  exposed,  it  lies 
some  ten  or  twelve  feet  above  the  river.  The  exposures,  thus  far,  have  all 
been  on  the  west  bank.  Half  a  mile  south,  and  near  the  eastern  line  of  the 
section,  the  coal  appears  some  distance  up  the  bluff,  not  less  than  twenty  or 
twenty-five  feet  above  the  river.  In  the  northwestern  quarter  of  section  23, 
it  is  again  exposed  along  a  little  run,  and  but  a  few  feet  above  its  bed.  South 
of  here,  and  near  the  eastern  line  of  section  2(5,  it  crops  out  some  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  above  the  river.  On  the  level  upland,  and  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  bluff,  there  are  two  shafts.  The  first  one  is  about  50  feet  deep,  and  the 
other  one,  which  is  but  a  few  hundred  feet  to  the  east,  is  about  3  Ofeet  deeper, 
both  working  this  same  coal.  South  of  this,  I  did  not  learn  of  any  exposure 
for  about  five  miles,  when,  in  section  23,  township  12,  range  6,  it  again  crops 
out  some  six  or  eight  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river.  The  course  of  Spoon 
river  from  here  is  to  the  southwest,  and  this  coal  seam  does  not,  probably, 
again  appear  near  the  river.  A  statement  of  the  workings  and  outcrops  of 
coal  No.  2,  will  be  found  in  the  report  of  Knox  county. 

Economical     Geology. 

Stone  for  building  purposes. — Stark  county  is  not  very  abundantly  supplied 
with  good  material  for  these  purposes.  The  supply  is  unevenly  distributed, 
some  parts  being  destitute,  while  in  others  there  is  plenty.  There  are  but  few 
valuable  deposits  of  limestone  in  this  county.  In  sections  21,  22,  township  14, 
range  7,  the  most  extensive  bed  is  exposed.  It  is  from  six  to  twelve  feet 
thick,  and  furnishes  considerable  building  stone,  but  the  layers  are  thin,  sel- 
dom exceeding  four  inches,  and  are  very  uneven.  The  stone  is  of  a  light  drab 
color,  compact,  even  textured,  moderately  hard,  and  is  uninjured  by  the  weather. 
The  following  section  will  show  the  position  of  this  limestone  to  the  underlying 
coals : 


STARK    COUNTY.  331 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Limestone 6  to  12 

2.  Clay  shale,  not  accurately  measured,  but  supposed  to  be  somewhere  from. . .  5  "  10 

3.  Limestone 4 

4.  Clay 4     6 

5.  Clay  shale 8     4 

6.  Limestone 2     4 

7.  Clay  shale  9  10 

8.  Coal 2 

9.  Clay  shale 12 

10.  Limestone 3 

11.  Clay  shale 8 

12.  Limestone 2 

13.  Clayshale :  4     5 

14.  Coal  No.  7? 2     7 

The  limestone,  No.  1  of  this  section,  is  reported  to  make,  when  properly 
burned,  an  excellent  lime  for  building  purposes,  being  nearly  equal  to  cement. 
For  plastering  it  is  not  so  good,  being  too  dark  colored.  For  this  and  other  in- 
formation, I  am  indebted  to  A.  B.  Abbott,  Esq.,  of  Bradford. 

Of  sandstone,  there  are  a  number  of  outcrops  that  have  been  worked  in 
this  county.  In  section  16,  township  14,  range  6,  there  is  a  bed  of  this  mate- 
rial which  lies  some  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  coal  No.  6.  The  stone  is  light 
colored  and  quite  soft.  In  section  14,  township  13,  range  6,  there  is  a  stra- 
tum of  sandstone  that  lies  a  few  feet  below  coal  No.  6,  and  had  furnished  some 
building  stone  of  fair  quality.  In  township  12,  range  6,  section  14,  a  quarry 
has  been  opened  whicn  affords  a  harder  stone,  and  is  thought  to  be  one  of  the 
best  sandstone  quarries  in  the  county.  West  of  this,  in  section  17,  there  is 
also  a  quarry  which  furnishes  a  fair  article  of  building  stone,  and  a  dwelling 
house  in  this  vicinity  which  was  erected  quite  a  number  of  years  ago,  the  ma- 
terial being  taken  from  this  quarry,  is  still  uninjured.  Another  sandstone 
quarry  was  reported  to  have  been  opened  on  Walnut  creek  in  section  20, 
township  12,  range  5. 

Coal. — Stark  county  has  an  abundant  supply  of  coal,  which  is  at  present  de- 
rived mainly  from  coal  No.  6.  It  crops  out  along  West  Fork,  in  Elmira  town- 
ship, and  Spoon  river,  in  Toulon,  at  intervals  for  about  twenty  miles,  and  can, 
probably,  be  found  and  worked  along  these  streams  and  their  tributaries,  for 
the  whole  distance.  This  coal  varies  in  thickness  from  two  and  a-half  to  six 
feet,  seldom  reaching  either  extreme,  but  averaging  from  three  and  a-half  to 
five  feet.  Immense  quantities  of  coal  have  been  taken  from  this  seam  at  its 
outcrops  along  the  different  streams.  In  Osceola  township,  one  shaft  has  been 
sunk  near  East  Fork,  and  several  others  are  partially  completed.  Shafts  have 
also  been  sunk  at  Medina,  and  near  Wyoming,  in  Toulon,  and  at  Cox's  mill, 
in  Essex  township. 


332  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

The  coal  from  this  mine  is  generally  good,  and  easily  worked.  At  but  two 
mines,  as  far  as  I  learned,  are  "  Horsebacks,"  or  slips,  common.  The  clay 
band,  which  is  usually  from  one  to  two  feet  above  the  base  of  the  coal,  and  is 
called  the  "  mining  seam,"  is  frequently  taken  advantage  of  by  the  miners, 
who  remove  it  and  then  break  down  the  coal  from  above.  This  seam  is  found 
throughout  this  coal  in  this  region,  and  serves  as  a  ready  means  for  recognizing 
it,  there  being  nothing  in  the  other  coal  seams  that  corresponds  with  it. 

This  seam  probably  underlies  townships  12,  13  and  14,  range  7,  and  the 
eastern  part  of  the  same  townships,  range  6. 

Coal  No.  4  ?  furnishes  nearly  all  the  rest  of  the  coal  used  in  this  county,  al- 
though but  one  mine  is  at  present  being  worked  in  this  seam,  but  the  coal 
is  from  four  to  six  feet  thick  and  of  fair  quality,  and  the  amount  annually  pro- 
duced is  large.  This  seam  probably  underlies  the  whole  county,  with,  per- 
haps, the  exception  of  a  portion  of  townships  12,  ranges  5  and  6. 

A  coal  that  is  supposed  to  be  No.  2,  appears  in  the  last  named  townships, 
and  has  been  worked  a  little.  Coal  No.  1,  which  lies  some  forty  to  seventy 
feet  below  No.  2  has  not  been  reached  in  this  county,  but  it  seems  probable 
that  it  underlies  the  whole  of  it.  This  seam  is  generally  from  three  to  six  feet 
thick,  and  the  coal  of  fair  quality. 

Of  the  eight  townships  in  8tark  county,  four  of  them,  Osceola,  Elmira,  Tou- 
lon and  West  Jersey,  furnish  nearly  all  the  present  supply  of  coal,  Essex  fur- 
nishing but  comparatively  little,  and  Valley  far  less,  and  none  is  obtained  from 
Penn  and  Goshen  townships.  As  may  readily  be  seen,  the  present  yield  is  but 
a  small  fraction  of  what  might  be  annually  obtained,  were  the  demand  suffi- 
cient to  justify  more  extensive  operations.  As  yet  there  is  no  railroad  pass- 
ing within  the  limits  of  the  eounty.  But  two  are  talked  of;  one  of  them,  the 
Peoria  and  Rock  Island  railroad,  is  to  enter  the  county  not  far  from  the  line  be- 
tween Valley  and  Essex,  and  runs  north  to  near  Wyoming,  and  from  thence 
northwest  through  the  city  of  Toulon,  to  Gralva,  in  Henry  county.  The  other, 
the  Dixon,  Peoria  and  Hannibal  railroad,  is  to  enter  the  county  near  its  north- 
eastern corner,  and  passes  south  to  Bradford,  and  from  thence  in  a  southwest- 
erly direction  to  Princeville,  Peoria  county.  Both  of  these  roads  will  pass 
through  more  or  less  of  the  coal  field  underlaid  by  No.  6,  especially  the  one 
last  named.  It  seems  probable  that  anywhere  in  this  county,  along  the  pro- 
posed line  of  the  Dixon,  Peoria  and  Hannibal  railroad,  shafts  may  be  sunk,  and 
reach  this  upper  seam  at  depths  not  exceeding  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet. 
According  to  the  miners'  estimate,  there  are  one  million  tons  of  coal  to  the 
square  mile  for  every  foot  of  thickness  of  the  seam.  Coal  No.  6  is  generally 
from  four  to  five  feet  thick,  but  supposing  that  it  will  average  only  three  feet, 
this  will  give  over  one  hundred  million  tons  of  coal  to  either  of  the  three  east- 
ern townships 


STARK   COUNTY.  333 

Timber,  Soil  and  Agriculture. — Along  the  water  courses,  there  is  usually  a 
variable  belt  of  timber,  consisting  principally  of  the  common  varieties  of  oak, 
hickory,  ash  and  maple,  black  walnut,  butternut,  cottonwood,  sycamore,  coffee 
tree,  buckeye,  box  elder,  redbud,  wild  plum,  cherry  and  crab  apple.  The  soil 
of  these  timbered  lands  is  a  clayey  loam,  sometimes  resembling  that  of  the 
prairie,  though  generally  lighter  colored  and  of  less  depth,  but  frequently  par- 
taking largely  of  the  character  of  the  subsoil,  and  of  a  dark  brown  or  yellowish 
color.  Though  much  less  fertile  than  the  prairies,  these  lands  are  better  adapted 
to  the  cultivation  of  fruit. 

The  soil  of  the  prairies  is  a  dark-colored  loam,  which  contains  a  large  per- 
centage of  humus.  Its  peculiar  character  is  due  to  the  admixture  with  the 
finely  comminuted  matter,  which  constituted  the  surface  of  the  Drift,  of  the 
material  resulting  from  the  growth  and  decay,  for  long  ages,  of  animal  and 
vegetable  substances  upon  its  surface.  If  properly  drained  and  cultivated,  the 
prairies  are  everywhere  productive.  Drainage  renders  the  soil  dry  enough  for 
working  earlier  in  the  spring,  and  later  in  the  fall ;  makes  it  warmer  at  those 
periods,  when  warmth  is  most  needed ;  helps,  by  admitting  the  atmosphere,  to 
prepare  the  mineral  food  for  the  nourishment  of  the  growing  plants,  and  ren- 
ders the  latter  less  liable  to  injury  from  drought. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

WOODFORD    COUNTY. 

Woodford  county  is  bounded,  on  the  north,  by  Marshall  and  LaSalle  coun- 
ties; on  the  east,  by  Livingston  and  McLean  ;  on  the  south,  by  McLean  and 
Tazewell ;  and  on  the  west,  by  the  Illinois  river.  It  is  quite  irregular  in  out- 
line, and  comprises  a  little  over  fifteen  townships,  or  about  five  hundred  and 
fifty-six  square  miles. 

The  most  important  stream  in  the  county  is  the  Mackinaw  river,  which  in- 
tersects the  southern  part  from  northeast  to  southwest.  To  this,  Panther  and 
Walnut  creeks  are  tributary,  the  former  rising  in  township  27,  range  2  east, 
and  the  latter  in  township  27,  range  1  west.  The  two  forks  unite  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  township  27,  range  1  east,  and,  running  a  little  to  the  west  of 
south,  enter  the  Mackinaw  in  the  southeastern  part  of  township  26,  range  1 
west.  Walnut  creek  rises  in  township  27,  range  2  west,  and  empties  into  the 
Mackinaw  about  four  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Panther  creek.  In  the  north- 
western part  of  the  county,  are  Richland  and  Partridge  creeks,  which  rise,  re- 
spectively, in  townships  28  and  27,  range  2  west,  and  empty  into  the  Illinois 
in  township  28,  range  3  west.  Only  the  southern  and  western  portions  of  the 
county  are  even  comparatively  well  watered  by  these  streams,  and  there  are  but 
few  springs  within  its  limits.  Good  wells  may  generally  be  obtained  at  a  depth 
of  from  fifteen  to  fifty  feet,  but  in  some  cases  much  difficulty  is  experienced  in 
finding  water  even  at  the  latter  depth. 

The  larger  part  of  the  county  is  prairie,  and  the  surface  is,  for  the  most  part, 
gently  rolling.  In  the  southern  portion  of  the  county  the  surface  becomes  more 
broken  and  hilly,  and  the  prairies  of  much  less  extent,  while  in  the  western 
part,  along  the  Illinois  bluffs,  and  for  some  distance  back,  there  is  little  or  no 
prairie  land,  and  the  country  is  quite  broken  and  intersected  by  deep  ravines. 

The  soil  of  the  prairies  is  a  black  loam,  usually  from  one  to  three  feet  deep, 
and  sometimes  even  more,  with  a  yellow  or  brown  clay  subsoil.  Timber  origi- 
nally skirted,  for  the  most  part,  the  ridges  along  the  water  courses,  and  along 
their  summits  and  steep  slopes,  the  subsoil  conies  near  the  surface,  and  the  soil 
is  usually  of  a  lighter  color.  Much  of  the  timber  has  been  cut  away  since  the 

* 


WOODFORD    COUNTY.  335 

first  settlement  of  the  county,  and  the  process   of  denudation  is  continually 
going  on. 

The  principal  varieties  of  timber  noticed  on  the  level  portions  of  the  tim- 
bered lands  were  white,  red,  black  and  laurel  oak,  and  shell-bark  and  bitternut 
hickory,  and  along  the  slopes  of  the  bluffs  and  in  the  valleys  of  the  small 
streams,  there  are,  in  addition  to  those  above  mentioned,  sugar  and  white 
maple,  box  elder,  black  walnut,  butternut,  white  and  red  elm,  mulberry,  wild 
cherry,  sycamore,  cottonwood,  white  and  blue  ash,  hackberry,  and  red-bud, 
with  an  undergrowth  of  sumac  and  hazel. 

On  the  bottoms  of  the  Illinois  river,  we  find  white  elm,  willow,  buckeye, 
black  ash,  cottonwood,  and  in  the  dryer  portions  the  common  varieties  of  oak 
and  hickory,  sycamore,  and  a  few  other  kinds. 

/ 

Surface     Geology. 

This  comprises  the  usual  subdivisions  of  the  Quaternary,  Alluvium,  Loess 
and  Drift.  The  most  extensive  alluvial  deposit  in  this  county  is  on  the  west- 
ern border,  along  the  Illinois  river.  It  extends  from  the  north  line  of  the 
county  to  Spring  Bay,  with  an  average  width  of  about  two  miles.  South  of 
Partridge  creek,  it  becomes  narrower,  and  gradually  decreases  in  width,  till  at 
Spring  Bay  the  bluff  comes  nearly  to  the  river,  leaving  but  a  very  narrow  strip 
of  bottom  land.  Along  the  river  much  of  this  land  is  wet,  and  only  valuable,  at 
present,  for  its  timber,  as  it  is  subject  to  overflow  at  every  considerable  rise  of 
the  river.  Occasionally  there  are  low  ridges  that  run  nearly  to  the  river,  and 
here  the  land,  together  with  that  nearer  the  bluff,  is  valuable.  The  soil  is  a 
black,  peaty  loam,  somewhat  mixed  with  the  sediment  deposited  at  high  water, 
and  occasionally  with  fine  gravel  and  sand.  It  is  very  fertile  and  produces 
large  crops  when  sufficiently  raised  above  the  river. 

Along  the  valleys  of  the  small  water  courses,  there  are  generally  some  allu- 
vial dsposits,  but  they  are  quite  limited  in  extent,  seldom  exceeding  a  few  rods 
in  width.  The  soil  is  a  dark  colored  loam,  intermingled  with  sand  and  gravel. 

Loess. — In  township  28,  range  2  west,  on  Richland  creek,  a  deposit  of  sandy 
clay  was  found  which  contained  fresh  water  shells,  probably  of  existing  spe- 
cies, but  this  bed  appeared  to  underlie  the  yellow  clays  of  the  Drift,  and  will 
be  noticed  under  that  head.  It  is  probable  that  the  Loess  caps  the  bluff  of  the 
Illinois,  at  least  in  places,  but  no  point  was  observed  where  it  could  be  identi- 
fied with  certainty. 

Drift. — The  entire  surface  of  the  uplands  of  the  county  are  covered  by  ac- 
cumulations of  this  age,  which  attain  a  thickness  of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  feet.  These  deposits  comprise  a  series  of  yellow,  brown  and 


336  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

blue  clays,  sand  and  gravel.     At  Minonk,  township  28,  range  2  east,  a  shaft 
has  been  sunk,  from  which  the  following  section  of  the  Drift  was  obtained  : 

FEET. 

1.  Soil 2 

2.  Yellow  clay -. 14 

3.  Blue  clay 18 

4.  Sand  and  gsavel 15 

5.  Cemented  sand  and  gravel 76 

125 

In  section  21,  township  28,  range  2  west,  the  Drift  exposed  in  the  ravine  of 
Richland  creek,  presented  a  different  order  of  arrangement.  A  section  here 
showed : 

FEET.         IN. 

1.  Soil  and  yellow  clay.     Not  measured 

2.  Purplish  clay  or  hard  pan.     Not  measured 

3.  Blue  sandy  clay,  containing  fresh  water  shells 6 

4.  Rotten  drift-wood  or  peaty  matter 3        6 

5.  Blue  clay 3  to  4 

6.  Drift-wood  or  peaty  matter 5  "6 

7.  Blue  clay.     Not  measured 

In  this  vicinity,  on  the  uplands,  wells  are  reported  to  have  been  sunk  to  a 
depth  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet,  and  the  hard  pan  or  purple  clay  not  reached. 
Judging  from  the  hight  of  the  bluff,  I  should  think  that  Nos.  1  and  2,  of  the 
last  section,  would  probably  exceed  these  figures. 

No.  3  contained  fragments  of  fresh  water  shells,  among  which  the  genera 
Succinea  and  Limnea  were  recognized  by  Mr.  Meek.  This  bed  resembles  the 
Loess,  but  its  position,  below  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Drift,  shows  that  it 
belongs  to  an  older  formation. 

No.  4  resembles  peat,  and  contains  fragments  of  wood,  some  of  which  are  well 
enough  preserved  to  be  recognized,  but  the  larger  portion  has  been  converted 
into  peaty  matter.  Among  the  specimens  collected  from  this  bed,  the  follow- 
ing kinds  of  timber  were  recognized  by  Prof.  Lesquereux:  American  white 
birch,  black  or  double  spruce,  American  larch  or  Tamarach,  and  one  variety  of 
cedar. 

No.  5  resembles  No.  3,  but  no  shells  were  noticed  in  it. 

No.  6  is  similar  in  character  to  No.  4.  This  bed  was  not  as  well  exposed  as 
the  upper  one,  but  was  examined  by  boring  through  it.  Of  course,  but  small 
specimens  could  be  secured  by  this  method,  and  the  only  kind  of  wood  thus 
obtained,  that  could  be  recognized,  was  the  American  or  black  larch. 

These  beds  appear  to  have  been  formed  mainly  of  drift  wood,  the  larger  part 
of  which  has  undergone  a  partial  decomposition.  There  is  too  large  a  percent- 
age of  earthy  material  intermingled  with  the  peaty  matter  to  be  valuable  for 


WOODFORD    COUNTY.  337 

fuel.  It  might,  however,  be  used  as  a  fertilizer,  and  where  it  crops  out  so  as 
to  be  readily  obtainable,  may  prove  of  value.  The  material  of  both  beds  has 
the  odor  of  well  decayed  manure.* 

No.  7  resembles  the  ordinary  blue  clays  of  the  Drift  period.  I  am  indebted 
to  Mr.  Wm.  Rice,  who  resides  in  the  neighborhood,  for  assistance  in  examin- 
ing these  beds.  The  peaty  layers  have  been  examined,  for  some  distance,  by 
him. 

A  bed  of  light  colored  sand,  of  considerable  extent  and  thickness,  is  reported 
to  lie  in  the  Illinois  bluffs  in  the  northern  part  of  township  28,  range  3  west. 
It  is  said  to  be  too  fine  to  make  good  mortar,  and  may  prove  valuable  for  glass 
making. 

Boulders  of  various  kinds,  and  varying  from  a  few  inches  to  several  feet  in 
diameter,  are  found  in  the  Drift.  They  consist  of  granite,  syenite,  porphyry, 
trap,  hornblende,  quartz,  limestone,  etc.,  and  occasionally  a  specimen  of  native 
copper. 

Coal  Measures. — All  the  stratified  rocks  exposed  in  Woodford  county,  belong 
to  the  Coal  Measures,  and  they  crop  out  in  but  very  few  places.  In  section  1 , 
township  27,  range  3  west,  about  four  miles  northwest  of  Metamora,  some  beds 
of  limestone  are  exposed,  for  a  short  distance  on  Partridge  creek.  The  upper 
layer  is  a  compact  rock,  and  makes  a  good  building  material,  but  only  about 
three  feet  in  thickness  of  this  was  to  be  seen.  The  only  fossils  I  obtained  from 
it  were,  Productus  longispinus,  and  Atliyris  subtilita.  The  lower  rock  is  of  poorer 
quality,  and  breaks  badly  on  being  quarried.  From  this  I  obtained  a  large 
Aviculopecten,  species  not  known. 

Near  to  this,  a  shaft  has  been  sunk  over  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  and  a 
boring  was  made  nearly  eighty  feet  further.  The  shaft  is  located  at  the  foot 
of  the  bluff,  which  is  some  sixty  or  eighty  feet  high.  The  rocks  penetrated 
give  the  following  section : 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Drift 5       6 

2.  Clay  shale 19 

3.  Sandstone , 6 

4.  Clay  shale  ..-, „ 4 

5.  Sandstone , 7      6 

6.  Clay  shale , 4       6 

7.  Sandstone 1 

8.  Slate 5 

9.  Coal 1 

*These  beds  are,  undoubtedly,  the  equivalents  of  similar  strata  passed  through  in  the  shafts 
at  Bloomington,  at  a  depth  of  about  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the  sur- 
face, and  being  entirely  below  the  true  boulder  clay,  or  Drift  proper,  they  may  be  considered 
as  stratified  Post  Tertiary  deposits,  representing  the  ancient  soils  and  surface  conditions,  that 
obtained  anterior  to  the  Drift  epoch.  A.  H.  W. 

—43 


338  GEOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

JFEET.       IN. 

10.  Clay  ahale 56 

11.  Sandstone 15 

12.  Coal 3 

]  3.  Sandstone 5 

14.  Coal 3  6 

15.  Clay  shale     5  4 

1 6.  Sandstone ...   4  2 

17.  Clay  shale 5 

18.  Limestone  and  chert 1  1 

19.  Black  slate 6  2 

20.  Clayshale 14  7 

21.  Sandstone,  fine  grained 31 

22.  Black  slate 4  8 

23.  Coal 10 

24.  Clayshale 6  1 

25.  Sandstone ? 


212       2 

No.  14  is  the  coal  seam  worked  at  this  shaft.  The  larger  part  of  it  furnishes 
a  very  poor  quality  of  coal,  there  being  only  about  nine  inches  near  the  middle 
of  the  seam  that  is  good.  The  lower  part  of  it  contains  considerable  pyrite,  the 
"  sulphur"  of  the  miners,  but  by  mixing  the  good  with  the  poor,  the  whole  is 
made  saleable.  As  the  expenses  of  mining  this  coal  are  considerable,  a  high 
price  has  to  be  charged  for  it,  and  at  present  there  are  no  other  coal  mines 
nearer  Metamora  than  those  opposite  to  Peoria,  in  Tazewell  county.  Should 
another  shaft,  furnishing  better  coal,  be  opened  in  the  vicinity,  the  working  of 
this  would  have  to  be  abandoned. 

The  fossils  found  in  connection  with  this  seam  are,  Ghonetes  mesoloba,  and 
Khynclwnella  Osagen&is.  These  are  abundant,  and  fragments  of  others  were 
noticed. 

The  journal  of  the  shaft  was  obtained  for  this  report  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Clark,  of 
Metamora.  A  boring  was  made  from  No.  14  to  No.  25,  to  learn  if  a  better 
seam  could  not  be  found.  This  part  of  the  section  was  furnished  me  by  the 
foreman,  Mr.  Ai'ien. 

Coal  has  been  mined  in  but  one  other  place  in  the  county,  which  is  at  Mi- 
nonk.  This  place  is  located  on  nearly  the  highest  land  in  the  county,  and  the 
shaft  was  sunk  on  the  prairie,  near  the  railroad,  and  about  on  a  level  with  the 
town.  The  most  of  the  following  section  was  furnished  me  by  the  Superintend- 
ent, Mr.  Atherton  ;  the  remainder  by  D.  C.  Taft,  Esq. : 

FEET.       IN. 

1.  Drift 125 

2.  Limestone 6 

S.Clayshale 3 

4.  Black  slate 1 


WOODFORD    COUNTY.  339 

FEET.    IN. 

6.  Blue  clay  shale , . . . .  7 

6.  Red  clay  shale 3 

7.  Limestone 1 

8.  Clay  shale 18 

9.  Limestone 1 

10.  Sandstone 14 

1 1.  Clay  shale 10 

12.  Arenaceous  shale 7 

13.  Black  slate 3 

14.  Blue  clay  shale ; 9 

15.  Red  clay  shale 13 

16.  Sandstone 100 

17.  Black  slate 3 

18.  Clay  shale 2 

19.  Coal 3 

20.  Clay 12 

21.  Arenaceous  shale 6 

22.  Argillaceous  limestone 2 

23.  Arenaceous  shale 30 

24.  Coal 2 

26.  Clay 6 

26.  Arenaceous  shale 33 

27.  Black  slate 19 

28.  Sandstone 12 

29.  Limestone . .  2 

30.  Clay  shale 18 

31 .  Limestone 2 

32.  Sandstone 6 

33.  Clay  shale 18 

34.  Chert 9 

35.  Clay  shale 18 

36.  Black  slate   2. 

37.  Clay  shale 14 

38.  Sulphur  rock 1 

39.  Black  slate 6 

40.  Clay  shale i 

41.  Black  slate ) 

42.  Coal 3     10 

546       9 

As  the  shaft  had  been  sunk  sometime  before  I  visited  it,  much  of  the  mate- 
rial taken  out  was  covered  up,  and  many  of  the  fossils  had  been  carried  away. 
Crinoidal  stems  were  abundant  in  some  of  the  upper  beds,  but  the  exact  hori- 
son  from  which  they  came  I  did  not  learn. 


340  GEOLOGY  OF   ILLINOIS. 

No.  2. — This  is  the  thickest  bed  of  limestone  that  was  found  in  sinking  the 
shaft.  In  it  were,  Productus  lonfftspintu,  P.  Prattcnianus,  Athyris  subtilita, 
and  Platyostoma  Peoricnsis. 

No.  7  contained  Productus  lonyispinus,  Syntrielasma  hemiplicata,  and  a  coral, 
probably  a  Cyathaxonia. 

No.  19. — This  coal  corresponds  with  that  worked  at  the  Metamora  shaft, 
No.  14  of  that  section,  and  like  that,  the  upper  and  lower  portions  are  impure, 
only  about  nine  inches  of  the  middle  being  good.  After  working  this  seam  for 
a  short  time  it  was  abandoned,  being  unable  to  compete  in  the  market  with  the 
superior  Vermilion  coal  brought  here  by  the  railroad.  Ttiis  seam  is,  probably, 
No  6  of  the  Illinois  section.  A  boring  having  been  made  to  No.  27,  and  a 
portion  of  it  mistaken  for  coal,  the  shaft  was  sunk  through  it  into  No.  28. 

No.  22. — This  is  the  only  limestone  penetrated  by  the  shaft  below  the  coal. 
Only  a  small  piece  of  this  limestone  was  obtained,  but  in  it  we  recognized 
two  species  of  Productus,  and  a  Chonetes.  The  remainder  of  the  section,  from 
No.  28,  was  obtained  from  the  journal  of  a  boring. 

No.  24,  is  probably  the  representative  of  coal  No.  5  of  the  Illinois  section, 
though  this  is  by  no  means  certain.  No.  38  was  called  by  the  miners  "  Sulphur 
rock."  I  was  unable  to  learn  anything  further  about  it. 

No.  42.  Coal. — This  is  supposed  to  be  coal  No.  2  of  the  Illinois  section,  and 
corresponds  with  the  lower  LaSalle  coal.  This  has  only  been  reached  by 
boring.  Work  has  ceased  at  this  shaft  for  the  present,  but  it  is  reported  that 
it  is  to  be  resumed  hereafter. 

Economical      Geology. 

Stone  for  Building. — The  supply  of  this  material  is  very  limited,  there  being 
but  very  few  outcrops  of  rock  within  the  limits  of  the  county.  Southwest  of 
Secor,  in  sections  23  and  24,  township  26,  range  1  west,  there  is  an  outcrop  of 
limestone.  The  lower  part  of  the  quarry  was  filled  with  water,  so  that  I  was 
unable  to  learn  upon  what  the  limestone  rests,  or  how  thick  it  is,  but  it  ap- 
pears to  be  somewhere  from  eight  to  twelve  feet.  It  is  of  a  bluish-gray  color, 
streaked  with  white,  and  for  the  most  part,  compact.  It  appears  to  have  been 
at  one  time  celular,  and  the  white  portions  have  resulted  from  the  infiltration 
of  colorless  carbonate  of  lime.  In  some  portions  of  the  strata  the  cavities  still 
remain,  and  are  coated  with  crystals  of  calcite,  with,  occasionally,  pyrite.  The 
rock  contains  a  few  fossils,  among  the  most  common  of  which  are  the  following: 
Productus  longispinus,  Athyris  subtilita,  and  Cyathaxonia  prolifera?  These 
quarries  furnish  a  considerable  quantity  of  good  building  stone,  which,  from 
its  scarcity  in  this  vicinity,  is  quite  valuable.  The  rock  makes  good  lime,  and 
the  fragments  from  the  quarries  might  be  utilized  in  this  way. 


WOODFORD   COUNTY.  341 

South  of  Versailles,  in  section  33  of  this  township,  there  is  another  quarry, 
the  rock  from  which  is  reported  to  be  similar  to  that  above  mentioned.  Some 
small  exposures  of  limestone  are  reported  along  the  Mackinaw  river,  but  wheth- 
er in  Woodford  county  or  beyond  its  limits,  I  did  not  learn.  There  is  an  out- 
crop of  limestgne  a  few  miles  northwest  of  Metamora,  in  section  1,  township 
27,  range  3  west.  This  exposure  has  been  described  in  the  preceding  pages. 

Coal. — The  supply  of  this  -important  mineral  is  quite  limited.  The  only 
mine  that  is  worked  at  present,  is  the  one  northwest  of  Metamora  in  section  1, 
township  27,  range  3  west.  The  seam  worked  here  is  probably  coal  No.  6  of 
the  Illinois  valley  section.  So  far,  this  coal  has  been  tested  at  two  places  in 
this  county,  and  at  each  it  is  from  three  to  three  and  a-half  feet  thick,  and 
there  is  a  band  about  nine  inches  thick  near  the  middle  of  the  seam,  that  fur- 
nishes an  excellent  quality  of  coal,  while  that  above  and  below  is  very  poor. 
A  boring  was  made  from  the  bottom  of  this  shaft,  to  see  if  a  more  valuable 
coal  could  not  be  found.  Coal  No.  4  (?)  was  struck  about  seventy  feet  below, 
but  was  only  ten  inches  thick.  The  next  seam,  if  No.  3  is  absent  here,  would 
be  No.  2,  and  probably  lies  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  this. 

This  lower  coal,  No.  2,  has  been  reached  at  Minonk,  by  sinking  a  shaft  about 
four  hundred  and  forty  feet  and  boring  about  one  hundred  feet  farther.  The 
coal  was  found  to  be  three  feet  ten  inches  in  thickness.  This  seam  probably 
underlies  the  whole  county  at  a  depth  of  from  three  hundred  to  five  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  Elsewhere,  coal  No.  4,  numbered  24  in  the  section  of  the  Mi- 
nonk shaft,  may  be  thick  enough  to  be  of  some  value.  In  the  LaSalle  section, 
reported  by  H.  C.  Freeman,  this  seam  is  from  three  to  six  feet  thick. 

Though  coal  cannot  be  obtained  in  this  county,  except  by  means  of  shafts 
sunk  to  a  considerable  depth,  still  it  can  be  furnished  from  abroad  to  those 
along  the  line  of  the  railroads  at  reasonable  rates,  and  hence  deep  mining  has 
not  been  largely  undertaken. 

Soil  and  Agricultural  Products. — The  soil  of  the  prairie  is  usually  of  a 
black  or  dark  brown  color,  and  from  one  to  three  or  more  feet  deep.  Its  dark 
color  shows  it  to  be  largely  composed  of  humus,  which  has  resulted  from  the 
growth  and  decay  of  vegetable  and  animal  matter  upon  the  surface  for  long 
ages.  This  admixture  of  organic  matter  with  the  finely  pulverized  mineral 
matter,  which  constituted  the  upper  surface  of  the  Drift,  when  it  emerged 
from  the  waters  in  which  it  had  accumulated,  was  necessary  in  order  to  form 
the  fertile  soil  which  now  constitutes  the  surface  of  our  prairie  lands.  -  The 
brown  clays,  which  lie  immediately  below  this  vegetable,  mould,  and  forms  the 
subsoil,  do  not  readily  absord  the  excess  of  moisture  which  filters  through 
the  soil,  and  hence  the  surface  is  frequently  rendered  too  wet,  where  it  is  level 
or  but  slightly  rolling,  as  is  the  case  over  a  considerable  portion  of  this 
county,  to  be  successfully  cultivated  without  artificial  draining.  It  is  true, 


342  GEOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

that  by  waiting  a  little  later  in  the  spring,  the  soil  can  then  be  worked,  but 
that  gives  so  much  the  less  time  for  the  crop  to  ripen,  add  if  the  frost  comes 
early  it  is  likely  to  be  injured,  if  not  entirely  lost.  By  proper  drainage  this 
would  be,  in  a  lara;e  measure,  remedied,  the  soil  made  warmer  and  more  pro- 
ductive, and  the  growing  season  rendered  somewhat  longer.  In  most  places 
there  is  sufficient  descent  towards  the  streams,  so  that  drains  can  be  made  with 
but  little  difficulty.  Frequently,  the  partial  or  entire  saving  of  a  crop  would 
result  from  a  thorough  drainage  of  the  surface.  Wheat,  corn  and  hay  are  the 
principal  products  of  the  prairie,  but  other  grains,  and  fruits,  adapted  to  the 
climate,  may  bo  grown  with  more  or  less  success. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  water  courses,  the  land  is  more  rolling  and  hilly,  and 
the  subsoil  comes  nearer  the  surface,  and  a  portion  of  the  humus  has  been 
washed  out  of  the  soil,  leaving  it  much  less  fertile,  but  better  adapted  to  some 
kinds  of  crops,  particularly  fruits.  For  ordinary  purposes  these  soils  require 
little  or  no  draining.  In  their  uncultivated  state  they  produce  good  timber: 
the  common  varieties  of  oak,  hickory,  elm  and  ash,  sugar  and  white  maple, 
wild  cherry,  black  walnut,  butternut  and  hackberry. 

Along  the  Illinois  river  bluffs,  grapevines  are  very  abundant,  more  so  than  I 
noticed  elsewhere.  I  saw  but  few  vineyards  in  the  portions  visited,  but  the 
abundance  and  luxuriance  of  the  wild  vines  would  seem  to  indicate  that  here 
is  a  favored  locality  for  the  culture  of  the  grape.  Along  these  bluffs  but  little 
draining  would  be  necessary,  though  in  most  places  where  the  grape  has  been 
successfully  cultivated,  it  has  usually  been  found  to  pay  to  underdrain  even 
where  the  soil  appeared,  to  the  unpracticed  eye,  dry  enough.  Underdrains  are 
profitable,  not  only  to  carry  off  the  surplus  moisture,  but  also  to  give  the  at- 
mosphere a  chance  to  act  more  readily  and  thoroughly  upon  the  subsoil.  This 
action  is  necessary  to  assist  in  dissolving  and  preparing  the  mineral  food  for 
the  vine,  which  sends  its  roots  deep  into  the  surrounding  soil  for  this  very 
nourishment. 

The  finest  apple  orchards  in  the  county  are  found  on  these  "  barrens,"  and 
most  other  kinds  of  fruit  succeed  best  on  this  kind  of  soil. 


PART    II. 


PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


SECTION   I. 


DESCRIPTIONS  OF  FOSSIL  VERTEBRATES, 


BY  J.  S.  NEWBERRY  AND  A.  H.  WORTHEN. 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 


Since  the  publication  of  the  second  volume  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Illi- 
nois, in  which  descriptions  and  figures  of  one  hundred  and  eighteen  species, 
and  several  new  genera  of  fossil  fishes  were  given,  the  collections  from  various 
portions  of  the  State,  brought  in  by  those  engaged  in  field  geology,  have  added 
largely  to  the  number  already  known  of  this  most  interesting  group  of  fossils, 
and  we  are  now  enabled  to  present  figures  and  descriptions  of  thirty-two  new 
species  and  four  new  genera,  embracing  some  of  the  most  remarkable  forms  yet 
found  in  the  Carboniferous  system. 

The  Edestus  Heinrichsii,  figured  on  PL  1,  fig.  1,  was  found  by  Mr.  John  P. 
Heinrichs,  in  the  Belleville  coal  seam  at  Belleville,  in  St.  Clair  county,  and  is, 
perhaps,  the  most  remarkable  fossil  of  its  kind  at  present  known,  and  its  study 
has  enabled  us  to  throw  some  additional  light  on  the  probable  position  and  use 
of  these  remarkable  serrated  spines  in  the  animal  economy. 

The  Belleville  coal  is  usually  quite  regularly  stratified,  the  layers  varying 
from  six  to  fifteen  inches  in  thickness,  and  separated  by  a  thin  parting  of  bitu- 
minous shale  or  slaty  coal,  and  it  is  probable  that  this  fossil  was  embedded  in 
one  of  these  shaly  partings  between  the  layers  of  solid  coal.  The  fauna  of  this 
coal  is  eminently  marine  in  its  character,  and  the  following  named  species  of 
Brachiopoda  are  abundant  in  the  roof  shales  and  limestones  associated  with  it, 
in  St.  Clair  county  :  Productus  longispinus  var.  splendens,  P.  Prattenianus,  P. 
Wilberanus,  P.  costatus,  P.  punctatus,  Athyris  subtilifa,  A.  Royissii,  Spirifer 
cameratus,  S.  Hneatus,  Chonetes  mesoloba,  and  0.  granulifera,  associated  with 
plates  and  joints  of  Crinoidea.  Moreover,  it  is  not  uncommon  to  find  this  coal 
directly  enclosed  between  beds  of  marine  limestone,  with  only  a  few  inches  of 
shale  or  clay  intervening  between  the  limestone  and  the  coal.  The  limestone 
beneath  the  coal  is  generally  nodular  and  argillaceous,  and  contains  Chsetetes 
milleporaceous,  two  or  three  species  of  Naticopsis,  several  species  of  Pleuroto- 
maria,  and  a  few  Brachiopoda,  among  which,  Spirifer  lineatus,  S.  cameratus, 
and  Athyris  subtilita  are  the  most  common.  No  remains  of  fishes  have  yet  been 
obtained  from  these  limestones  in  St.  Clair  county,  and  the  only  ichthyic  re- 
mains yet  found  in  the  bituminous  roof  shales  of  this  coal  at  other  localities, 
—44 


346  INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 

are  Petrodus  occidentalis,  and  spines  like  that  figured  on  PI.  II,  fig.  3  and  3  a, 
under  the  name  of  Listracanthus  hisfrix. 

The  occurrence  of  the  so-called  dermal  plates  of  Petrodus,  with  the  peculiar 
spine  above  referred  to  in  the  same  stratum,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  they 
might  have  once  belonged  to  the  same  species  of  fish,  and  this  supposition  seems 
to  be  strengthened  by  the  fact,  that  while  these  two  forms  are  tolerably  abun- 
dant at  some  localities,  all  other  traces  of  vertebrata  are  exceedingly  rare  in  the 
roof  shales  of  this  coal. 

The  large  spines,  Physonemus  gigas  and  Ctenacanthus  Mayi,  represented  on 
PI.  II,  figs.  1  and  2,  were  obtained  from  the  upper  division  of  the  Burlington 
limestone,  the  former  from  the  quarries  near  Thayer's  distillery,  about  one  mile 
below  the  City  of  Quincy,  and  the  latter  from  Burlington,  Iowa.  More  re- 
cently we  have  obtained  another  specimen  of  the  last  named  species  from  the 
same  limestone  on  Cedar  creek,  in  Warren  county,  Illinois.  The  specimen  of 
Physonemus,  the  only  one  at  present  known,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  in  America, 
was  found  in  the  debris  of  the  quarry,  and  the  stratum  in  which  it  was  origi- 
nally embedded,  could  not  be  positively  identified,  but  the  Ctenacanthus  Mayi 
was  obtained  from  the  limestone  layer  known  as  the  "fish  bed"  in  the  upper 
division  of  the  Burlington  limestone. 

The  remainder  of  the  ichthyic  material,  still  in  hand,  and  upon  the  investi- 
gation of  which  we  are  now  engaged,  indicates  that  this  department  of  palaeon- 
tology is  by  no  means  exhausted  in  this  State,  and  we  hope  to  present  in  a  sub- 
sequent volume  of  this  report,  some  ten  or  twelve  additional  plates  of  these 
very  interesting  fossils,  illustrating  at  least  fifty  or  sixty  additional  species, 
which  will  enable  us  to  extend  our  catalogue  to  something  over  two  hundred 
species  of  fossil  fishes  from  the  Carboniferous  system  alone,  showing  that  our 
western  localities  of  Coal  Measure  and  Lower  Carboniferous  limestone  strata, 
are  far  more  productive  in  this  interesting  group  of  fossils  than  any  other  por- 
tion of  the  earth's  surface  hitherto  explored.  A.  H.  W. 


GENUS  PLATYSOMUS,  Agassiz. 
PLATYSOMUS  CIRCULARIS,  N.  and  W. 

PL  iv,  fig.  2. 

FISH  small,  two  inches  long,  nearly  orbicular  in  outline,  head 
elongated,  acute,  granulated,  nearly  as  long  as  body.  Tail  very 
heterocercal,  with  thirty  or  more  rays;  vertebral  column  pro- 
longed to  the  extremity  of  upper  lobe;  lower  lobe  strongly 
marked,  dorsal  and  anal  fins  opposite,  set  far  back,  broad,  ex- 
tending nearly  to  caudal  fin,  each  highest  anteriorly,  anal  with 
about  thirty,  dorsal  with  forty  rays;  rays  supported  by  strong 
interspinous  bones.  Scales  oblong  in  outline,  smooth,  those 
on  the  sides  three  to  six  times  as  high  as  long. 

The  discovery  of  this  little  fish  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois,  is  a  fact  of 
great  geological  interest,  as  the  genus  has  not  before  been  found  in  America. 
In  the  old  world,  most  of  the  species  are  found  in  the  Permian,  but  a  number 
have  also  been  taken  from  the  Coal  Measures  near  Leeds,  England. 

From  these,  the  species  before  us  is  apparently  distinguished  by  its  small 
size,  more  orbicular  form,  and  broader  dorsal  and  anal  fins.  .  : 

Formation  and  locality  :  Nodules  of  iron  ore  ;  Mazon  creek,  Grundy  county, 
Illinois. 

GENUS   PAL^ONISCUS,  DeBlainv. 
PAL^EONISCUS  GRACILIS,  N.  and  W. 

PL  iii,  fig.  4. 

FISH  of  very  small  size;  body  cylindrical  and  slender;  head 
one-fifth  of  the  entire  length,  rounded  and  obtuse  anteriorly ; 
mandibles  and  maxillaries  ornamented  with  fine  raised  lines; 
cranial  bones  tuberculated  (?) ;  dorsal  and  anal  fins  placed  far 


348  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

back  and  accurately  opposite;  ventral  fins  set  about  tbe  mid- 
dle of  the  body;  scales  rhomboidal,  of  nearly  uniform  size — 
except  on  the  tail,  smooth  on  surface  and  margins. 

This  elegant  little  fish  seems  to  be  quite  distinct  from  any  heretofore  found 
in  this  country.  It  is  much  less  in  size  than  any  species  of  the  genus  before 
known,  sometimes  hardly  exceeding  an  inch  in  length.  The  body  is  elongated 
and  narrow,  bearing  simple  polished  scales.  The  dorsal  and  ventral  fins  placed 
so  near  the  caudal  as  to  almost  reach  it  when  collapsed,  and  are  exactly  oppo- 
site. In  this  character  it  is  unlike  any  other  species  known. 

It  might  be  inferred  that  this  was  but  the  young  of  P.  peltigerus,  N.,  the  most 
common  species  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  the  Western  States,  but  it  wants  the 
row  of  large  scales  which  cover  the  dorsal  line  of  that  species,  and  also  differs 
from  it  in  the  position  of  the  fins  and  the  smooth  scales.  In  size  it  is  about 
equal  to  Eurylepis  minutus,  N.,  found  in  the  cannel  coals  of  Ohio,  but  is  more 
slender,  has  the  fins  differently  placed,  and  wants  the  high  side-scales  of  that 
species. 

Formation  and  locality:  Coal  Measures;  Mazon  creek,  G-rundy  county,  111. 


GENUS  AMBLYPTERUS. 
AMBLYPTERUS  MACROPTERUS  ?  Ag. 

A  somewhat  shattered  nodule  of  clay  ironstone  obtained  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong, 
from  the  Coal  Measures  at  Mazon  creek  ;  contains  an  unmistakable  impression 
of  a  species  of  Amblypterus,  the  first  that  has  been  recognized  in  America. 
From  the  mutilated  condition  of  the  specimen,  it  is  impossible  to  decide  with, 
certainty  whether  it  was  or  was  not  identical  with  either  of  the  species  found 
in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Europe,  but  it  so  closely  approaches  A.  macropterus, 
Ag.,  so  abundant  in  the  similar  nodules  of  ironstone  at  Saarbruck,  that  we  are 
not  justified  in  giving  it  a  new  name.  Other  specimens,  which  it  is  to  be 
hoped  will  be  discovered  in  the  locality  that  has  furnished  this,  will  doubtless 
decide  the  question.  In  either  case,  this  adds  another  to  the  list  of  genera 
and  species  found  in  that  wonderful  deposit  of  Mazon  creek,  and  affords  addi- 
tional evidence  of  the  minute  and  exact  parallelism  between  the  Coal  Meas- 
ures of  Europe  and  America.  While  we  may  leave  the  correspondence  between 
other  parts  of  the  geological  column  on  the  two  sides  of  the  Atlantic  open  to 
further  proof  as  to  whether  they  be  cases  of  homotaxis  or  synchronism,  we 
must  insist  that  here,  at  least,  the  phenomena  were  coincident  in  time,  and  are 
due  to  cosrnical  and  not  to  local  causes. 


VERTEBRATES.  349 

The  specimen  of  Amblypterus  before  us,  though  so  imperfect,  shows  some 
points  in  the  structure  and  habits  of  the  genus  which  have  been  long  misun- 
derstood. Agassiz  says  of  the  dentition  of  Amblypterus,  that  the  teeth  are  en 
brosse,  and  hence  it  was  a  vegetable  eater  ;  but  in  these  specimens  the  mandi- 
bles are  distinctly  shown,  bearing  on  the  outer  edge  of  each  a  row  of  relatively 
large  and  acute  teeth,  such  as  could  only  be  intended  for  the  use  of  a  carnivore. 
Probably,  as  in  analagous  fishes,  the  jaw  bore  smaller  teeth  within,  but  the 
large  ones  are  as  distinct,  and  relatively  as  large  as  those  of  Lepidosteus.  The 
dentition  is  even  better  shown  in  some  specimens  of  Amblypterus  from  Saar- 
bruck  in  the  possession  of  one  of  the  authors,  and  these  exhibit  precisely  the 
character  described  above. 


GENUS  RHIZODUS,  Owen. 
RHIZODUS  RETICULATUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  iii,  fig.  9,  13,  14. 

SCALES  of  large  size,  oblong  or  oval  in  outline,  anterior  ex- 
tremity somewhat  pointed,  posterior  end  truncated;  margins 
bordered  by  a  distinct  radiate-striated  band,  broadest  on  the 
anterior  and  posterior  extremities,  and  marked  by  numerous 
imperfectly  parallel  and  concentric  plications  or  lines  of  growth ; 
under  surface  nearly  smooth,  with  a  subcentral  tubercle ;  up- 
per surface,  within  the  marginal  band,  covered  with  an  irre- 
gular reticulation  of  raised  lines,  which  enclose  elongated  poly- 
gonal areolae ;  on  the  exposed  anterior  third  of  the  scale,  these 
lines  are  more  or  less  broken  into  rows  of  minute  tubercles. 

The  elongated  form  of  these  scales  is  their  most  striking  character.  This  is 
best  shown  in  some  of  the  smaller  specimens,  which  are  more  than  twice  as 
long  as  broad,  and  spatulate  in  outline.  The  largest  ones  are  two  and  a-half 
inches  long  by  one  and  one-quarter  broad.  The  scale  is  thin,  and  the  orna. 
mentation  delicate,  similar  in  style  to  that  of  R.  occidentals,  but  less  strong. 
In  that  species,  the  scale  is  much  more  rounded,  the  two  diameters  being  nearly 
equal. 

Formation  and  locality :  Coal  Measures  ;  Mazon  creek,  Grundy  county,  111. 


350  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

GENUS  EDESTUS,  Leidy. 
EDESTUS  HEINRICHSII,  N.  and  W. 

PL  i,  fig.  la  and  16. 

SPINE  robust,  one  foot  or  more  in  length  by  two  and  a-half 
inches  wide,  and  one  and  a-quarter  inch  thick,  composed  of 
dense,  bony  tissue,  symmetrically  flattened,  with  an  ovoid 
section  below,  lenticular  above ;  one  margin  nearly  straight, 
the  other  gently  arched ;  the  basal  end  irregularly  rounded 
off;  the  arched  border  set  with  nine  large,  triangular,  flat- 
tened, doubly  crenulated,  enamelled  denticles,  each  about  an 
inch  in  hight ;  the  upper  half  of  the  straight  side  forming  a 
sharp  cutting  edge.  The  denticles  of  the  arched  border  are 
broadly  triangular  in  outline,  rising  perpendicularly  from  the 
curved  edge  on  which  they  rest,  each  three-quarters  of  an 
inch  in  hight  by  one  and  a-quarter  inch  in  breadth,  com- 
pressed laterally,  with  crenulated  cutting  edges.  They  are 
contiguously  placed,  and  each  is  embraced  by  the  acute  pro- 
longations of  the  enamelled  base  of  the  superior  denticle  which 
reaches  back  to  its  middle  point.  The  spine  is  segmented 
throughout,  each  segment  bearing  a  denticle;  the  segments 
overlapping  to  such  a  degree  that  the  one  bearing  the  supe- 
rior denticle  reaches  two-thirds  of  the  distance  from  the  sum- 
mit to  the  base  of  the  spine. 

By  a  glance  at  the  figures  now  given  of  this  fossil,  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is 
genetically  identical  with  that  described  by  Prof.  Leidy,  under  the  name  of 
Edestus  vorax,  (Jour.  Acad.  Nat.  Sciences,  Phil.,  2d  series,  vol  iii,  p.  159, 
PL  15).  The  fragment  upon  which  Prof.  Leidy  based  his  description  was, 
however,  exceedingly  imperfect,  and  left  much  in  regard  to  the  complete  form, 
as  well  as  relations  of  this  fossil,  to  conjecture.  Though  noting  its  anomalous 
structure,  Dr.  Leidy  was  constrained  to  regard  his  specimen  as  the  fragment  of 
a  jaw  of  a  plagiostomous  fish.  No  other  conclusion  was  fairly  deducible  from 
the  fragment  which  he  had,  or  his  proverbial  aeuteness  and  knowledge  of  com- 
parative anatomy  would  have  led  him  to  it.  Yet  the  specimen  before  us,  which 
is  nearly  complete,  exhibits  features  that  seem  to  be  incompatible  with  that 


VERTEBRATES.  351 

conclusion,  and  indicates  that  it  was  rather  a  defensive  spine.  Although  the 
denticles  which  crown  its  convex  margin  have  the  general  form  and  crenulation 
of  the  teeth  of  Oarcharodon  or  Hemipristis,  their  structure  is,  in  many  respects, 
quite  different. 

1st.  The  teeth  of  none  of  the  sharks  are  symmetrical,  but  the  anterior  face 
is  flattened,  and  the  posterior  is  more  or  less  arched,  while  on  the  denticles  of 
the  specimen  before  us  the  two  sides  are  equal. 

2d.  The  jaws  of  sharks  are  cartilagenous,  holding  the  bony  and  enameled 
teeth  only  by  ligamentous  attachments,  so  that  in  the  fossil  state  the  jaws  have 
usually  quite  disappeared,  the  teeth  being  scattered  about  in  all  directions, 
whereas  in  Edestus  we  have  a  mass  of  dense  bone  to  which  tooth-like  denticles 
are  united  by  a  firm,  bony  anchylosis. 

3d.  The  form  of  this  fossil,  as  shown  by  the  nearly  complete  specimen  before 
us,  is  wholly  unlike  that  of  any  jaw  of  fish,  reptile  or  mammal  known,  being 
roughly  rounded  below,  above  terminating  in  an  acute  point,  its  upper  portion 
flattened,  smooth,  even-polished,  evidently  never  having  been  covered  by  the 
integuments,  and  is  bordered  on  one  side  by  a  sharp  cutting  edge,  on  the  other 
by  crenated  denticles. 

.  4th.  The  rounded,  roughened  base  proves  that  it  could  not  have  been  articu- 
lated with  any  bones,  and  scarcely  with  cartilages,  else  we  should  have  some 
evidences  of  co-adaptation.  In  this  respect,  it  resembles  most  the  dorsal  spines 
of  sharks  and  skates,  which  are  implanted  in  the  integument  of  the  back,  have 
a  roughened  base  and  a  bony  structure,  with  various  forms  of  enameled  denti- 
cles on  one  margin. 

It  is  apparent  that  this  fossil  is  genetically  identical  with  that  exhibited  at 
the  ninth  meeting  of  the  Am.  Ass.  by  Prof.  Hitchcock,  and  of  which  a  better 
figure  is  now  given  than  any  heretofore  published.  That  specimen  was  found 
in  the  coal  of  Parke  Co.,  Ind.,  and  when  exhibited  to  the  Am.  Ass.  was  con- 
sidered by  Prof.  Agassiz  as  a  jaw ;  one  of  a  pair  placed  on  the  sides  of  the 
head,  and  compared  to  the  embryonic  condition  of  the  saw  of  Pristis.  There 
are,  however,  some  features  in  the  specimen  before  us,  which  seem  to  militate 
against  that  conclusion : 

1st.  The  tissue  of  the  rostrum  of  Pristis  is  only  partially  ossified,  while  this 
is  all  dense  bone. 

2d.  The  denticles  of  the  rostrum  in  Pristis  are  set  in  alveolar  cavities,  while 
in  this  fossil  they  are  inseparably  united  with  the  bony  mass  without  sockets. 

3d.  If  the  fossil  was  the  homologue  of  the  rostrum  of  the  saw -fish,  the  base 
would  have  presented  some  evidence  of  articulation  with  the  bones  or  cartilages 
of  the  head,  whereas  it  is  rounded  as  though  it  had  been  completely  buried  in 
soft  tissue. 


352  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

4th.  If  it  were  the  homologue  of  the  embryonic  half  of  the  rostrum  of 
Pristis,  it  must  have  been  placed  on  the  side  of  the  snout,  separated  from  its 
fellow,  as  it  shows  no  points  of  contact;  on  the  contrary,  a  cutting  or  serrated 
edge  at  the  summit.  On  this  supposition,  its  flattened  sides  must  have  been 
more  or  less  horizontal,  but  if  that  had  been  its  position,  the  upper  and  lower 
sides  would  hardly  have  been  equally  arched,  and  the  organ  transversely  sym- 
metrical. 

"We  are,  therefore,  driven  by  this  perfect  bi-lateral  symmetry  to  suppose  this 
was  not  one  of  a  pair,  but  that  it  stood  alone,  somewhere  in  the  medial  line, 
either  as  the  homologue  of  the  sword  in  Xiphias,  or  of  the  rostrum  in  Pristis 
(in  which  case  it  should  have  had  an  articulated  base) ;  or,  as  the  homologue 
of  the  dorsal  spines  of  Chimsera,  Spinax,  Hybodus,  Ctenacanthus,  etc.,  or  the 
caudal  spine  of  Trygon  and  the  other  Sting-Rays. 

There  are  one  or  two  anomalous  features  in  this  fossil  which  require  notice  : 
and  first,  there  is  no  distinct  line  of  demarcation  between  the  exposed  portion 
and  that  buried  in  the  integuments,  though  it  is  plain  to  see  that  the  rough- 
ened, knobby,  basal  portion  was  implanted  in  tissue,  while  the  smooth,  polished, 
and  keen-edged  upper  portion  was  as  certainly  exposed.  In  most  fin  spines  of 
sharks  and  rays,  the  line  of  the  dorsal  surface  is  very  plainly  marked.  This 
is  not  always  the  case,  however,  so  that  no  great  importance  can  be  attached 
to  that  feature.  Another  peculiarity  of  this  spine  is  the  comparative  insignifi- 
cance in  size  of  the  medullary  cavity.  In  the  great  spines  of  Hi/bodus,  Gyra- 
canthus,Oracanthus^etG.,  the  medullary  cavity  is  very  conspicuous,  but  in  Edes- 
tus  it  is  hardly  observable,  and  the  basal  extremity,  which  in  most  species  of 
ffybodus,  etc.,  is  a  mere  shell,  is  here  quite  solid.  In  some  of  the  spines  of 
rays,  however,  there  is  scarce  any  medullary  cavity,  so  that  this  feature  need 
not  be  considered  incompatible  with  the  conclusion  that  our  fossil  is  a  spine. 

The  segmented  structure  of  the  fossil  is  its  most  marked  and  anomalous  fea- 
ture, but  one  equally  so  whether  it  be  considered  spine  or  jaw,  and  for  which 
no  parallel  suggests  itself.  It  is  undoubtedly  to  this  structure  that  we  must  as- 
cribe the  absence  of  a  large  medullary  cavity,  as  each  segment  seems  to  have 
been  nourished  somewhat  independently  of  its  fellows. 

It  is  also  evident  that  this  spine  was  implanted  in  the  integuments  at  a  low 
angle,  and  that  an  investing  skin  or  other  nutrient  tissue  covered  fully  half  its 
surface,  on  the  lower  portion  reaching  up  to  the  enameled  bases  of  the  denti- 
cles. This  is  the  relative  position  of  the  defensive  spines  of  rays,  to  which  an 
analogy  is  suggested  by  this  character. 

In  some  plagiostomous  fishes,  a  bone  is  found  quite  buried  in  the  integuments 
of  the  back,  and  which  is  a  rudimentary  representative  of  a  posterior  dorsal  fin; 
it  is,  therefore,  not  impossible  that  we  have  in  the  fossil  before  us,  a  higher  de- 
velopment and  special  modification  of  that  organ. 


VERTEBRATES.  353 

On  comparing  the  specimen  under  consideration  with  that  described  by  Prof. 
Leidy,  it  will  be  seen  that  ours  is  less  robust ;  that  the  segments  overlap  to  a 
much  greater  extent;  that  the  denticles  are  broader,  not  so  high,  and  are  not 
set  obliquely  on  the  spine  as  in  E.  vorax,  while  the  decurrent  spur  of  the 
enameled  base  is  much  longer  and  more  acute. 

From  the  specimen  exhibited  to  the  Am.  Ass.  by  Prof.  Hitchcock,  and  which 
is  probably  identical  with  that  described  in  this  report,  vol.  ii,  p.  84,  as  E.  mi- 
nor, N.,  the  one  before  us  may  be  distinguished  by  its  greater  size,  its  more 
rectilinear  outline — having  only  one  of  its  margins  curved — and  by  its  shorter, 
broader  and  more  erect  denticles. 

The  specimen  of  E.  vorax  described  by  Prof.  Leidy,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  found  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Western  Arkansas,  was  coated  with  car- 
bonaceous matter,  and  was  doubtless  taken  from  a  stratum  of  cannel  or  bitumi- 
nous shale. 

Prof.  Hitchcock's  specimen  was  obtained  from  a  layer  of  "  slate  "  (Bitumi- 
nous shale  ?)  which  overlies  a  seam  of  coal  in  Parke  Co.,  Indiana. 

The  specimen  described  in  the  2d  vol.  of  this  report  was  obtained  from  a  bi- 
tuminous limestone  in  Posey  Co.,  Indiana ;  while  that  before  us  is  reported  by 
Mr.  Heinrich  to  have  been  found  in  the  coal  of  Belleville,  Illinois. 

In  all  these  cases,  the  enclosing  material  was  undoubtedly  an  aqueous  sedi- 
ment, as  the  bituminous  shales  interstratified  with  the  coal  seams  and  cannel 
beds  always  are.  There  is,  therefore,  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  animal  which 
bore  this  organ  was  aquatic  in  habit.* 

The  species  described  above  is  dedicated  to  Mr.  John  P.  Heinrich,  in  whose 
mine  it  was  found,  and  to  whose  intelligent  appreciation  of  its  scientific  value 
we  owe  its  preservation,  as  to  his  courtesy  we  are  indebted  for  the  opportunity 
of  describing  it. 


*In  the  Am.  Jour  Sci.  2d  series,  vol.  xxiii,  p.  212,  will  be  found  a  discussion  of  the  origin 
of  the  difference  between  cannel  and  ordinary  bituminons  coal.  The  conclusion  drawn  from 
the  facts  there  cited  is  that  this  difference  is  mainly  due  to  the  relative  quantities  of  water 
present  during  the  process  of  bitumization;  cannel  coal  having  been  formed  from  vegetable 
matter  completely  submerged,  while  ordinary  bituminous  coal  was  produced  from  vegetable 
matter  saturated,  but  not  constantly  covered  with  water.  In  the  former  case,  the  vegetable 
tissue  was  thoroughly  macerated,  its  softer  parts  forming  a  fine  carbonaceous  pulp  which  was 
suspended,  transported  and  deposited  in  laminated  beds  by  water  action.  All  cannel  coals 
may  be  said  to  contain  remains  of  fishes,  shells,  or  aquatic  reptiles,  while  ordinary  bitumi- 
nous coal  rarely  contains  anything  but  vegetable  organisms.  In  the  open  lagoons  of  peat 
bogs — which  receive  the  leachings  of  the  surrounding  mass  of  vegetable  matter,  and  where  a 
fine  carbonaceous  mud  is  deposited  with  the  remains  of  aquatic  animals — cannel  may  be  said 
to  be  forming,  while  the  spongy,  saturated,  but  not  submerged  peat,  may  be  regarded  as  the 
representation  of  our  cubical  coals. 


—45 


354  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

GENUS  CLADODUS. 
CLADODUS  ISCHYPUS,  N.  and  W. 

PL  iv,  fig.  6,  6a. 

TEETH  large  and  stong;  base  broad  and  thick,  one  and  a 
half  inch  wide  by  five-eighths  of  an  inch  in  its  antero-pos- 
terior  diameter ;  central  cone  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in 
hight,  broad  and  thick  below,  rapidly  narrowed  to  an  acute 
point  (in  the  specimen  before  us  the  summit  is  deflected  for- 
ward and  laterally) ;  anterior  face  nearly  flat,  posterior 
strongly  arched,  both  finely  striated,  forming  an  acute  angle 
along  their  line  of  junction  ;  lateral  denticles  numerous,  in  a 
single  row  on  the  anterior  margin,  and  running  up  on  to  the 
lateral  angle  of  the  crown. 

The  most  striking  characters  of  this  tooth  are  its  broad  thick  base — in  its 
longest  diameter  double  the  hight  of  the  crown — and  the  strong,  anteriorly 
flattened  and  rapidly  tapering  central  cone.  These  characters,  if  equally 
marked  in  other  specimens,  will  serve  to  distinguish  it  at  a  glance  from  any 
other  species  hitherto  described. 

Specimen  in  cabinet  of  Prof.  Litton. 

Formation  and  locality :  St.  Louis  limestone  ;  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

CLADODUS  ELEGANS,  N.  and  W. 

PL  iv,  fig.  9. 

TEETH  of  medium  size,  as  high  as  broad,  measuring  about 
one  inch  in  each  direction ;  central  cone  very  much  compressed, 
double-edged ;  anterior  face  nearly  flat,  posterior  gently  arched 
and  regularly  striated  with  nearly  equidistant,  relatively 
strong  and  sharp  raised  lines,  at  base  about  thirty  in  number, 
above  fewer  and  stronger ;  lateral  denticles  two  on  either  side, 
of  which  the  exterior  pair  is  much  the  larger,  divergent,  flat- 
tened before,  rounded  behind,  double-edged,  strongly  striated. 

The  general  contour  of  this  tooth  is  remarkably  exact  and  elegant,  as  is  its 
ornamentation.     The  central  cone  is  erect,  straight  and  very  much  flattened. 


VERTEBRATES.  355 

From  C.  spinosm,  which  occurs  in  the  same  formation,  it  is  distinguished  by 
its  relatively  narrower  base,  fewer  lateral  denticles,  and  by  its  flattened  anci- 
pital  central  cone.  The  same  characters  will  serve  to  separate  it  from  C.  mor- 
tifer  and  C.  ferox,  although  the  former  of  the  last  two  mentioned  approaches 
it  most  nearly,  and  if  they  occurred  in  the  same  deposit  it  might  be  suspected 
that  they  formed  parts  of  the  necessarily  somewhat  variable  dentition  of  one 
fish.  They  are,  however,  too  widely  separated  geologically,  to  render  this  sup- 
position at  all  probable.  The  specimen  is  in  the  cabinet  of  Prof.  Litton. 
Formation  and  locality :  St.  Louis  limestone ;  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

CLADODTJS  DEFLEXUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  iii,  fig.  3,  3a. 

TOOTH  of  medium  size,  base  as  broad  as  hight  of  cone,  very 
narrow ;  antero-posterior  diameter  scarcely  more  than  a  quar- 
ter the  breadth ;  anterior  margin  straight,  posterior  regularly 
arched ;  central  cone  flexed  laterally  and  backward,  somewhat 
flattened  and  strongly  striated  in  front,  rounded  and  finely 
striated  behind ;  lateral  denticles,  two  on  each  side,  relatively 
large  and  nearly  equal :  sometimes  there  are  one  or  two  addi- 
tional ones  of  smaller  size. 

The  laterally  deflected  median  cone,  flattened,  striated,  and  angled  before, 
rounded  behind,  with  the  very  narrow  transversely  elongated  base,  will  serve 
as  a  means  of  identification  of  this  species  wherever  found,  and  to  distinguish 
it  from  all  others  of  the  genus. 

Formation  and  locality :  Burlington  limestone ;  Quincy,  Illinois. 

GENUS  PETALODUS. 
PETALODUS  CURTUS,  N,  and  W. 

PI.  ill,  fig.  2. 

TEETH  of  moderate  size,  thin  and  light  in  crown  and  root ; 
crown  broadly  arched,  twice  as  wide  as  high,  concavo-convex 
laterally  and  vertically ;  superior  margin  serrated  or  rough- 
ened by  the  termini  of  the  calcigerous  tubes ;  anterior  face  of 
crown  without  imbricating  enamel  folds,  half  as  high  as  pos- 


356  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

terior  face;  posterior  face  elliptical  in  outline,  basal  enamel 
folds  5-6,  broad  and  strong  ;  root  relatively  short  and  thin,  on 
posterior  face  two-thirds  the  hight  of  the  crown,  in  breadth 
two-thirds  that  of  the  crown,  sides  nearly  straight,  bottom 
arched  and  somewhat  three-lobed,  strongly  bevelled  off  so  as 
to  form  a  blunt  edge  on  the  anterior  and  longer  side. 

In  general  aspect  this  tooth  resembles  most  P.  linguifer,  N.  and  W.,  from  the 
Chester  limestone,  but  it  is  thinner,  and  has  a  much  shorter  root,  of  which  the 
lower  edge  is  characteristically  bevelled.  There  is  no  other  species  for  which 
it  is  likely  to  be  mistaken. 

Formation  and  locality :  Keokuk  limestone;  Otter  creek,  Jersey  countyi 
Illinois. 


GENUS  ANTLIODUS. 
ANTLIODUS  SARCULULUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  ii,  fig.  8,  8(7,  8&. 

TOOTH  small,  oval  in  outline,  thin  ;  root  entirely  obsolete ; 
upper  surface  polished  and  obscurely  striated ;  anterior  border 
raised  into  a  sharp  cutting  edge,  roughened  but  scarcely  ser- 
rated by  the  extremities  of  the  calcigerous  tubes ;  posterior 
margin  bordered  by  about  three  imbricating  enamel  folds, 

*/  t_j  / 

which  form  a  deep  bow-shaped  arch  ;  anterior  face  vertical, 
less  than  half  as  high  as  the  antero-posterior  diameter  of  the 
tooth,  terminating  in  an  arched  cutting  edge  above,  below  by 
two  or  three  very  narrow  imbricating  folds,  surface  polished 
but  obliquely  punctate ;  under  surface  sub-triangular  in  out- 
line, bony,  posterior  portion  roughened. 

This  is  another  of  the  small  unguiform  teeth  which  are  so  common  in  tlfe 
Lower  Carboniferons  limestone  of  the  Western  States,  and  which  form  our 
genus  Antliodus.  On  comparing  it  with  the  species  before  described  it  will  be 
seen  that  while  approaching  closely  in  dimensions  and  general  form  to  A.  par- 
vulus  (vol.  ii,  p.  38,  PI.  vi,  fig.  7,  7a,  76)  and  A.  minutus  (op.  cit.  p.  43,  PI.  iii, 
figs.  3,  3a,  36,)  it  is  specifically  distinct.  It  is  a  little  larger  than  either;  is 
without  the  rudimentary  roots  of  A.  pai-vulu*,  less  regularly  oval  in  outline,  and 


VERTEBRATES.  357 

the  anterior  margin  is  more  vertical.     In  A.  minutus  the  outline  is   elliptical, 
and  the  imbricated  folds  more  numerous  and  widely  separted. 

Formation  and  locality  :  Burlington  limestone;  Burlington,  Iowa. 


GENUS  POLYRHIZODUS. 

PoLYRHIZODUS    TRUNCATUS,  N.    aild  W. 
PI.  iii,  fig.  16,  16a. 

TEETH  small,  massive,  sub-elliptical  in  outline ;  crown  gently 
arched  transversely  on  its  upper  and  anterior  face,  which  is 
flattened  and  slightly  excavated,  and  roughened  by  the  oblique 
sections  of  the  calcigerous  tubes;  posterior  face  nearly  straight, 
laterally  and  vertically  smooth  or  punctate ;  this  is  bordered 
below  by  four  enamel  folds  which  are  slightly  arched  upward 
at  the  ends ;  root  very  small  or  obsolete. 

Although  the  specimens  which  we  have  of  this  tooth  show  little  or  no  root, 
there  is  scarce  room  for  doubt  that  tubercular  rootlets  existed  when  it  was  in 
a  perfect  condition  ;  the  spongy  texture  of  the  root  causing  it  to  yield  first  in 
the  process  ot  decay  or  abrasion,  when  the  tooth  is  detached  from  its  support. 
A  comparison  with  the  species  we  have  named  P.  inflexus  and  P.  porosus  (vol. 
ii,  pp.  48,  49,  PI.  ii,  figs.  8  and  9)  will  show  that  they  should  be  placed  in  one 
generic  group  with  that  now  under  consideration. 

From  those  species  it  is  distinguished  by  its  outline,  lower  and  broader  than 
in  P.  inflexus,  less  low  and  broad  than  in  P.  porosus,  and  by  a  root  more  nearly 
obsolete  than  in  either. 

Formation  and  locality  :  Burlington  limestone;  Quincy,  111. 

POLYRHIZODUS  LITTONI,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  iv,  fig.  10.  100. 

TEETH  of  medium  or  large  size,  strong,  oblong  or  elliptical  in 
outline,  one  and  a  quarter  inch  broad,  half  inch  high;  crown 
low  and  depressed,  superior  margin  broadly  arched,  subacute, 
roughened  by  the  extremities  of  the  calcigerous  tubes;  ante- 
rior face  three  lines  high,  lenticular  in  outline,  with  acuminate 


358  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

lateral  angles,  bordered  at  base  by  a  narrow,  prominent,  bow- 
shaped  band  of  about  four  closely  approximated  enamel  folds ; 
posterior  crown  face  long-elliptical  in  outline,  five  lines  high, 
concave  in  both  directions ;  root  strong  but  short,  two-thirds 
as  broad  as  the  crown ;  on  the  posterior  face  one-third,  ante- 
rior face  two-thirds  the  entire  hight,  divided  into  seven  or 
eight  oblong,  thick,  tooth-like  radicles. 

This  well-marked  species  has,  at  first  sight,  much  the  aspect  of  P.  maynus 
(McCoy,  Brit.  Palseoz.  Fossils),  but  is  smaller  in  all  its  dimensions,  much  thin- 
ner, with  fewer  and  relatively  stronger  radicles.  One  of  its  most  characteristic 
features  is  the  prominent  ridge  formed  by  the  imbricating  enamel  folds  at  the 
base  of  the  anterior  face. 

This,  with  other  fish  remains,  was  obtained  by  Prof.  A.  Litton,  who  has 
kindly  loaned  it  to  us  for  description. 

formation  and  locality  :  St.  Louis  limestone;  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

GENUS  ORODUS. 
ORODUS  CORRUGATUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  iii,  fig.  18,  18or. 

TEETH  of  various  forms  and  sizes,  forming  many  rows ;  of 
these  the  largest  are  strongly  arched  in  both  directions,  the 
crown  of  the  arch  forming  a  broad,  massive  eccentric  cone,  or 
protuberance,  which  is  without  rugae,  but  is  coarsely  granulo- 
punctate. 

The  crown  surfaces  of  all  these  teeth — with  the  exception  of  the  compara- 
tively smooth  cone  summits  of  the  largest — are  strongly  and  sharply  corrugated 
by  a  medial,  longitudinal  crest,  and  numerous  pinnate  lateral  crests  which  run 
down  to  and  strongly  crenulate  the  sides. 

The  lateral  crests  are  beaded  or  pectinated;  the  whole  forming  an  elaborate 
system  of  surface  ornamentation. 

The  smaller  teeth  vary  in  size  from  10  lines  to  4  lines  in  length,  being  three 
times  as  long  as  wide,  long-elliptical  in  outline,  the  larger  ones  highest  near  one 
end,  showing  a  tendency  to  form  the  eccentric  crown-cones  of  the  larger  series. 

The  beautiful  group  of  teeth  represented  in  our  figure  form  one  of  the  most 
interesting  specimens  yet  discovered  of  the  dentition  of  the  fishes  of  the  Car- 


VERTEBRATES.  359 

boniferous  period,  and  by  far  the  most  striking  are  furnished  by  the  Coal 
Measure  strata.  The  corrugated  and  highly  ornamented  surface  of  these  teeth 
will  serve  to  distinguish  them  at  a  glance  from  all  the  teeth  of  Orodus  de- 
scribed, therefore  no  extended  comparisons  are  necessary.  It  should  be  said, 
however,  that  this  group  of  eleven  teeth,  though  evidently  belonging  to  one  in- 
dividual, give  but  an  imperfect  idea  of  his  complete  dentition.  They  are  not 
in  their  normal  position,  for  the  longer  diameter  of  all  doubtless  once  coincided 
with  the  arch  of  the  jaw  on  which  they  were  placed.  If  this  is  true  — and  the 
analogies  presented  by  the  dentition  of  living  and  fossil  cestracionts  all  indi- 
cate that  it  is  so — we  must  suppose  that  the  smaller  teeth  have  been  shifted 
from  their  original  position,  in  which  they  must  have  presented  their  ends 
rather  than  their  sides  to  the  series  of  larger  teeth.  In  Acrodus,  the  Jurassic 
representative  of  Orodus,  as  in  the  living  Cestracion,  we  find  the  largest  and 
strongest  teeth  placed  near  the  middle  of  each  mandible  at  the  point  where  the 
muscles  which  raise  it  act  with  the  greatest  mechanical  advantage  :  the  syin- 
physis  of  the  jaw  being  generally  covered  by  more  or  less  conical  and  what  may 
be  called  prehensile  teeth  ;  while  the  posterior  portion  of  each  ramus  bears  rows 
of  teeth  diminishing  in  size  backward.  A  similar  structure  is  visible  in  the 
dentition  of  the  mammalia,  where  the  anterior  portion  of  the  jaw  is  occupied 
by  incisors  and  canine  teeth,  the  middle  portion  by  the  molars,  or  grinders  as 
they  are  properly  denominated.  Reasoning  from  these  analogies,  we  should  con- 
sider the  group  of  teeth  under  consideration  as  having  occupied  the  middle  and 
posterior  portion  of  the  left  mandible  or  the  right  maxillary. 

What  were  the  forms  of  the  anterior  teeth  of  the  series  to  which  these  be. 
longed  we  can  only  conjecture,  but  the  very  striking  resemblance  which  the 
teeth  we  have  described  under  the  name  of  Lophodus  varialilis  (PI.  iv,  fig.  4,4a, 
46,  5,  5a,  11,  Ha,  116,  present  to  these,  in  the  surface  markings  of  all,  and  the 
form  of  a  part,  suggest  that  the  two  groups  once  formed  but  portions  of  the 
dentition  of  oiie  genus;  the  conical  forms  of  Lophodus  being  the  anterior  teeth. 

Formation  and  locality  :  Coal  Measures;  Alton,  111. 


GENUS  HELODUS. 
HELODUS  RUGOSUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  ii,  fig  10,  10a. 

TEETH  small  but  strong ;  crown  broadly  conical  in  outline, 
set  obliquely  on  the  root,  lateral  extremities  rounded,  entire 
surface  roughened  by  papillae  of  enamel,  or  vermicular  raised 
lines  ;  root  as  high  as  the  crown  and  nearly  as  wide  above, 


360  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

rapidly  narrowed  downward  where  it  becomes  thinner,  and 
terminates  in  a  sharpish  edge ;  posterior  face  of  root  shorter 
than  anterior,  and  marked  by  strong,  vertical  ridges  and  fur- 
rows. 

In  general  form  the  teeth  of  this  species  resemble  those  of  H.  compressm, 
but  are  smaller  and  less  flattened.  The  character  by  which  it  may  be  distin- 
guished from  all  other  known  species  of  the  genus  is  the  rugosity  of  the  crown 
surface. 

Formation  and  locality  :  Coal  Measures  ;  Collinsville,  Illinois. 

HELODUS  COMPRESSUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  iii,  fig.  15,  Ua. 

TOOTH  small,  much  compressed  or  flattened ;  crown  yoke- 
shaped,  smooth,  coarsely  punctate,  bearing  a  flattened,  smooth, 
sub-central,  medial  cone,  arched  upward  at  base;  root  less  in 
hight  than  crown,  bevelled  to  an  edge  below,  and  marked  on 
either  surface  with  vermicular  lines. 

In  outline  this  species  resembles  H.  consolidatus,  N.  andW.  (vol.  ii,  p.  87,'P1. 
vi,  fig.  2)  but  is  much  smaller  and  more  flattened. 

Formation  and  locality :  Burlington  limestone;  Quincy,  Illinois. 

GENUS  LOPHODUS,  N.  and  W. 

TEETH  of  various  forms,  many  transversely  elongated ;  the 
crown  raised  into  several  summits,  and  traversed  in  its  longest 
diameter  by  a  sharp  crest ;  root  vertical,  flattened.  In  others 
the  medial  cone  is  greatly  developed,  the  lateral  ones  obsolete 
or  represented  by  buttress-like  wings  that  are  given  off  on  one 
side  of  the  tooth.  The  medial  cone  is  laterally  compressed, 
and  bears  a  sharp  crest  along  its  antero-posterior  medial  line. 

The  most  elongated  of  these  teeth,  taken  by  themselves,  would  be  included 
in  the  genus  Orodus,  being  formed  altogether  on  the  same  plan  ;  but  those 
bearing  the  high,  ancipital,  medial  cone  are  very  different  from  any  found  in 
the  dental  series  of  Orodus,  and  approach  the  form  of  the  ancipital  teeth  of 
some  of  the  mesozoic  reptiles. 


VERTEBRATES.  361 

There  is  no  doubt  of  the  affinity  of  the  fish  that  bore  these  teeth  with  Oro- 
dus,  but  the  differences  which  have  been  indicated  seems  to  us  of  generic  value. 

Orodus  has,  up  to  the  present  time,  not  been  found  in  strata  more  recent 
than  the  Lower  Carb.  limestone,  and  we  may  regard  Lophodus  as  the  represen- 
tative of  that  genus  in  the  fauna  of  the  Coal  Measures. 


LOPHODUS  VARIABILIS,  N.  and  W. 

PL  iv,  figs.  4,  4a,  46,  5,  5a,  11,  lla,  116. 

TEETH  of  medium  size,  of  three  or  more  forms ;  largest  and 
central?  teeth  (fig.  11)  having  a  V shaped  base,  on  the  angle  of 
which  is  set  an  ovoid  or  conical,  laterally  compressed  crown 
which  bears  on  the  medial  line  a  sharp,  serrated  crest,  passing 
from  the  base  on  the  anterior  face  over  the  crown  to  the  base 
on  the  posterior  face.  On  the  anterior  side  the  crown  is  con- 
stricted at  its  juncture  with  the  base.  On  the  posterior  face 
it  is  supported  by  acute  crested  buttress-like  wings,  which  run 
down  to  the  lateral  prolongations  of  the  base.  The  base  is 
vertically  flattened  under  the  wings  of  the  crown,  thicker  and 
conical  before,  somewhat  pitted  and  roughened.  Other  teeth 
of  the  series  are  transversely  elongated  laterally,  somewhat 
arched  backward  at  the  extremities.  The  crown  has  a  gen- 
eral conical  outline  with  a  pectinated  crest  along  the  most  ele- 
vated line.  Transverse  crests  cross  the  central  summit  and 
two  lateral  eminences  from  front  to  rear.  On  the  posterior 
face  the  central  and  lateral  eminences  form  strong  ridges 
which  give  the  tooth  a  peculiar  yoke-like  plan. 

The  third  form  of  tooth  (fig.  5)  is  still  more  elongated  laterally,  having  the 
form  of  some  species  of  Orodus.  The  crown  is  marked  by  a  central  or  sub- 
central  prominence,  on  either  side  of  which  are  several  minor  summits  which 
may  be  said  to  be  formed  by  projecting  rings  arching  over  the  crown  from 
front  to  rear.  The  root  is  vertical,  flattened,  pitted  or  vernacularly  marked, 
and  bevelled  on  the  lower  edge.  Like  the  others,  these  teeth  are  ornamented 
by  pectinated  ridges  along  the  line  of  greatest  elevation,  and  transversely  on 
the  more  prominent  points. 

The  enamelled  surface  of  the  crown  in  all  these  teeth  is  highly  polished,  and 
—46 


362  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

must  have  been  very  hard.     Though  obscurely  granular  throughout,  ifc  can 
hardly  be  said  to  be  anywhere  punctate. 

Formation  and 'locality :  Coal  Measures;  La  Salle,  111. 


GENUS  PELTODUS,  N.  and  W. 

TEETH  small  and  low,  round,  oval  or  elliptical  in  outline, 
arched  above  in  both  directions,  concave  or  flattened  below ; 
crown  surface  most  strongly  arched  from  front  to  rear,  highest 
near  the  anterior  margin,  more  or  less  evenly  punctate  through- 
out; under  surface  bony  and  rough;  margins  thin  and  irregu- 
lar where  the  teeth  are  separated,  thickened  and  even  along 
the  lines  of  contact  when  closely  set. 

These  teeth  indicate  a  dentition  intermediate  in  character  between  that  of 
Psammodus  and  Cochliodus ;  less  flat,  smooth  and  pavement-like  than  the  for- 
mer ;  less  convoluted  than  the  latter ;  though,  doubtless,  performing  the  same 
duty — crushing  the  shells  of  mollusks — for  which  the  teeth  of  so  many  of  the 
Cestracionts  were  employed.  They  are  smaller  and  thinner  than  the  teeth  of 
the  genera  which  have  been  cited,  Sandalodus,  Deltodus,  etc.,  and  apparently 
belonged  to  the  humbler  members  of  the  great  group  of  Selachians  which  in- 
habited the  Palaeozoic  sea.  The  type  species,  P.  unguiformis,  is  found  in  the 
calcareous  beds  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  forms  a  distinct  and  interesti  ng  ele- 
ment in  the  small  Cestraciont  fauna  of  that  epoch  ;  the  few  and  feeble  repre- 
sentatives of  the  shoals  of  sea  monsters  which  lived  in  the  epoch  that  immedi- 
ately preceded. 

Among  the  fish  teeth  from  the  Lower  Carb.  strata  contained  in  the  collection 
there  are  some  which  so  much  resemble  these  in  general  character,  that  they 
have  been  placed  in  the  same  generic  group  under  the  name  of  P.  pulvinulus- 
They  are  longer,  thicker,  more  elongated  laterally,  and  much  more  coarsely  punc- 
tate. 

In  P.  unguifcrmis,  the  broader,  anterior  end  bears  marks  of  attrition,  and  it 
is  evident  that  they  were  so  placed  on  the  jaw  that  the  anterior  margin  was 
most  elevated  and  took  all  the  wear  to  which  the  tooth  was  subjected.  From 
this  it  will  be  seen  that,  though  resembling  some  of  the  Petalodont  teeth  in  gen- 
eral form,  they  were  placed  on  the  jaw  in  reversed  position  from  them,  as 
though  the  teeth  of  Antliodus  were  turned  with  the  concavity  down.  The  dis- 
tinction of  crown  and  root,  and  the  imbricated  enameled  folds  visible  in  all  the 
Petalodonts  are  in  Peltodus  entirely  wanting. 


VERTERRATES.  363 

PELTODUS  UNGUIFORMIS,  N.  and  W. 

PL  ii,  fig.  7,  7o. 

> 

TEETH  small,  ovoid  in  outline,  thin,  convex  above,  concave 
below  ;  antero-posterior  diameter  of  largest  individuals  half 
inch ;  lateral  diameter  quarter  inch ;  anterior  margin  broadly 
rounded,  posterior  portion  narrowed  to  the  abruptly  rounded 
or  truncated  edge ;  crown  surface  obscurely  punctate  over 
the  middle  and  posterior  parts,  distinctly  so  on  anterior  slope 
which  formed  the  triturating  surface. 

There  are  several  of  these  little  teeth  in  the  collection,  all  from  the  upper 
Coal  Measures,  and  all  alike  in  the  generalities  of  form  and  structure,  though 
varying  considerably  in  size.  They  are  quite  thin  and  are  the  smallest  and 
most  delicate  of  all  the  great  series  of  crushing  teeth  which  have  been  obtained 
from  the  Carboniferous  strata  of  Illinois.  In  general  aspect  they  are  not  un- 
like a  small,  much-curved  nail  of  the  human  hand ;  a  resemblance  which  has 
suggested  the  name  given  to  the  species. 

Formation  and  locality  :  Upper  Coal  Measures ;  La  Salle,  III. 

• 

GENUS  CYMATODUS,  N.  and  W. 

TEETH  of  medium  or  small  size,  oblong  or  elliptical  in  out- 
line, thin,  forming  a  flat  or  arched  plate  of  which  the  crown 
surface  is  transversely  undulated  and  uniformly  punctate ; 
under  surface  flat  and  smooth,  at  the  posterior  end  bearing  a 
narrow,  strap-shaped,  oblique  root. 

This  genus  is  created  to  receive  a  quite  perfect  and  peculiar  tooth  from  the 
Coal  Measures,  of  which  a  more  detailed  description  is  given  below.  This 
tooth  has  much  in  common  with  Deltodus  and  Pcecilodus,  and  was  doubtless  used 
for  precisely  the  same  purposes  in  the  same  manner.  It  has,  however,  no  defin- 
ite deltoid  form,  and  no  ridges  or  furrows  which  follow  the  line  of  curvature, 
as  in  Deltodus,  nor  yet  the  banded  structure  of  crown  surface  which  is  the  most 
prominent  character  of  Pcecilodus ;  and  more  than  in  all  things  else  it  differs 
from  the  teeth  of  the  genera  cited,  by  its  long,  narrow,  back-reaching  root. 

No  teeth  bearing  any  close  resemblance  to  this  have  been  found  in  the 
Lower  Garb,  limestone,  and  it  probably  represents  a  genus  of  Plagiostomous 


364  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

fishes  which  inhabited  exclusively  the  Coal  Measure  seas.  It  would  seem  that 
in  the  region  east  of  the  Mississippi,  during  the  Coal  Measure  epoch,  marine 
conditions  prevailed  only  locally  and  for  a  limited  period  ;  circumstances  ap- 
parently not  favorable  to  the  existence  of  any  considerable  number  of  large 
cartilaginous  fishes;  for  we  here  find  a  marked  falling  off  from  the  rich  and 
diversified  ichthyic  fauna  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  period. 


CYMATODUS  OBLONGUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  iv,  fig.  7,  7«. 

TEETH  of  medium  or  small  size  (one  inch  long  by  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  wide),  oblong  or  spatulate  in*  outline,  thin, 
flattened  and  somewhat  arched ;  crown  surface  undulated  by 
relatively  large,  transverse  waves,  in  all  parts  and  nearly 
equally  dotted  by  the  round  or  vermicular  sections  of  the  ob- 
lique calcigerous  tubes ;  under  surface  parallel  to  the  crown 
face,  smooth  throughout  the  broader  portion  of  the  tooth,  near 
the  narrow  end  rising  into  a  long,  narrow,  strap-shaped, 
curved  root. 

The  generalities  of  the  R>rm  and  structure  of  this  tooth  are  given  in  the 
generic  description  which  is  based  upon  it.  It  will  be  seen  to  have  consider- 
able resemblance  to  the  undulated  species  of  Deltodus,  but  the  transverse  waves 
of  the  crown  surface  are  more  acute-crested,  are  not  curved  as  in  those  spe- 
cies, and  no  species  of  Deltodus  has  the  root  which  forms  so  conspicuous  a  fea- 
ture in  this  tooth. 

Formation  and  locality :  Upper  Coal  Measures  ;  LaSalle,  Illinois. 


GENUS  COCHLIODUS,  Ag. 

COCHLIODUS  COSTATUS,  N.  and  W. 

PL  iii,  fig.  10,  12,  12a. 

TEETH  relatively  small,  very  convolute,  crown  surface  bear- 
ing strongly  marked  ridges  in  the  line  of  enrollment ;  enam- 
elled surface  uniformly  punctate  throughout,  sometimes  with 
obscure  transverse  lines  of  growth ;  anterior  convolute  tooth 


VERTEBRATES.  365 

very  small,  form  unknown,  second  tooth  spirally  enrolled, 
narrow,  obliquely  triangular  in  outline,  posterior  margin  round- 
ed, lateral  margins  sulcated  for  co-adaptation,  crown  bearing 
a  single  central  revolving  ridge ;  third  tooth  much  broader, 
also  strongly  revolute,  bearing  a  distinct  ridge  on  its  anterior 
border  and  another  much  stronger  on  the  median  line  ;  a  deep 
and  smooth  sulcus  separates  the  ridges. 

These  teeth  form  a  typical  species  of  Cochliodus  corresponding  accurately  in 
position,  relations,  and  general  form  with  those  of  C.  contortus,  Ag.,  on  which 
the  genus  was  founded. 

Deltodus  had  apparently  a  similar  series  of  teeth  on  the  mandibles,  but  they 
were  less  convolute.  There  are,  however,  connecting  links  between  these  gen- 
era which  render  it  very  difficult  to  separate  them. 

In  our  description  of  Cochliodus  nobilis  (vol  ii,  p.  89)  we  noticed  the  discov- 
ery of  a  mass  of  teeth,  evidently  the  dentition  of  one  individual,  which  includes 
forms  that  have  been  referred  by  Agassiz  to  Cochliodus,  Helodus,  and  Streblo- 
dus.  We  then  suggested  that  the  teeth  having  the  Helodus  form  were  placed 
in  the  middle  and  anterior  portion  of  the  jaws,  corresponding  to  the  middle 
series  of  conical  teeth  in  Cestracion. 

Prof.  Owen  has  recently  figured  mandibles  of  Cochliodus  and  other  Cestraci- 
ontsin  which  no  space  is  left  between  the  convolute  teeth  for  any  such  group  as 
those  of  Cestracion  referred  to.  It  should  be  stated,  however,  that  the  denti- 
tion of  the  upper  jaw  of  these  fossil  Cestracionts  has  never  been  seen  in  place, 
and  the  mandibles  of  Cochliodus  have  never  been  found  absolutely  terminated 
anteriorly.  In  Cestracion  they  approach  each  other  so  closely  posterior  to  the 
group  of  conical  teeth,  that  if  the  extremity  were  removed  by  decay  or  vio- 
lence, the  jaw  would  seem  to  be  normally  terminated  without  any  cuspidate 
teeth. 

Hence,  we  may  say  that  the  presence  of  conical  teeth  in  the  dentition  of  any 
of  the  fossil  conchivorous  sharks  is  not  yet  disproved.* 

Formation  and  locality :  Burlington  limestone ;  Burlington,  Iowa. 

*The  figure  given  as  that  of  the  head  of  "  Cestracion,  Philipi "  in  Owen's  Palaeontology,  2d 
edition,  p.  126,  is  really  a  representation  of  the  head  of  Myliobates  Aquila  turned  wrong  side  up. 


366  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

GENUS  POECILODUS,  Ag. 
P(ECiLODirs  CONVOLUTUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  ii,  fig._9. 

TEETH  small  and  thin,  spirally  enrolled,  arched  transversely 
by  a  strong,  obtuse  ridge,  which  occupies  the  central  portion  in 
the  line  of  spiral  curvature.  On  each  side  of  this  ridge  is  a 
shallow  furrow,  which,  on  one  side,  is  bordered  by  the  raised 
margin  of  the  tooth ;  entire  triturating  surface  marked  by  nu- 
merous nearly  equi-distant  ridges  or  folds,  obliquely  transverse 
to  the  line  of  enrollment.  These  rugse  are  obtuse  and,  like 
the  inter-spaces,  coarsely  punctate. 

The  analogue  of  this  species  is  P.  angustus,  Ag.,  found  in  the  Garb,  limestone 
of  Armagh,  Ireland.  That  species  is,  however,  generally  smaller  and  narrower ; 
the  plications  of  the  enameled  surface  do  not  cross  the  medial  ridge — affecting 
only  the  sulci — and  they  form  a  ruffled  margin  to  it  on  either  side.  In  our 
species  they  affect  equally  the  ridge  and  the  lateral  furrows. 

From  the  other  species  found  in  the  Carboniferous  strata  of  Illinois  (P.  ru- 
gosus  and  P.  ornatus,)  it  is  distinguished  by  its  smaller  size,  more  convolute 
form  and  smoother  surface. 

Formation  and  locality:  Keokuk  limestone;  Warsaw,  Illinois. 

GENUS  DELTODUS,  N.  and  W. 
DELTODUS  FASCIATUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  iii,  fig.  17. 

TEETH  large  and  strong,  sub-spatulate  in  outline,  very 
obliquely  convolute,  without  longitudinal  ridges  or  furrows; 
crown  surface  marked  by  transverse  alternate  bands  of  denser 
and  more  porous  tissue,  which,  on  the  upper  portion,  are  sud- 
denly bent  upward  as  they  approach  one  side;  below  are  im- 
perfectly parallel  with  the  rounded  margin  of  the  broader  end. 
These  bands  give  a  peculiar  waved  appearance  to  all  the  upper 
surface. 


VERTEBRATES.  367 

This  tooth  illustrates  the  difficulty  of  establishing  a  satisfactory  classification 
among  Plagiostomous  fishes  by  a  comparison  of  one  set  of  organs  alone ;  for, 
with  the  general  form  and  structure  of  Deltodus,  it  has  the  crown  surface  cov- 
ered with  alternate  bands  of  dense  and  porous  tissue,  scarcely  different  from 
those  which  have  been  relied  upon  as  the  distinctive  character  of  the  genus 
Pcecilodus.  In  Deltodus  undulatus  (vol.  2,  p.  98),  the  crown  surface  is 
waved  on  its  lower  half,  though  there  is  little  difference  in  the  porosity  of  the 
ridges  and  furrows,  and  the  triangular,  deltoid  outline  is  distinctly  marked. 
In  D.  cingulatus  (vol.  2,  p.  99),  the  bands  of  dense  and  porous  tissue  are 
much  more  strongly  defined,  and  that  tooth  would  perhaps  naturally  fall 
into  Mc'Coy's  genus  Climakodus  (or,  as  he  writes  it,  Climaxodus),  taking  the 
name  of  C.  cingulatus.  It  is  of  very  little  consequence  in  which  of  these  two 
none-too-well  defined  generic  groups,  Deltodus  or  Poecilodus,  this  is  placed, 
but  it  is  of  consequence  that  this  so  strongly  marked  and  conspicuous  fossil  of 
the  Keokuk  limestone  should  be  made  known,  that  it  may  be  used  for  geologi- 
cal purposes. 

Formation  and  locality :  Keokuk  limestone;  Warsaw,  Illinois. 


DELTODUS  LITTONI,  N,  and  W. 

PI.  iv,  fig.  8.  8a. 

TEETH  of  medium  size,  one  inch  and  three-quarters  long  by  one 
inch  wide  at  broader  end,  very  thick  and  strong,  triangular  in 
outline,  strongly  convolute,  narrow  end  terminating  in  an  acute 
angle,  opposite  and  broader  end  regularly  arched;  crown  sur- 
face mainly  occupied  by  a  very  strong  but  obtuse  ridge  which 
follows  the  line  of  curvature  along  one  of  the  margins.  This 
ridge  is  bordered  by  a  broad,  shallow  furrow  which  reaches  to 
the  oblique  lateral  border,  and  which  is  slightly  raised ;  entire 
enamelled  surface  coarsely  granulo-punctate,  but  otherwise 
smooth. 

In  form  and  size  this  tooth  approaches  that  of  D.  stellatu-s,  N.  and  W.  (vol.  2, 
p.  97),  but  is  more  convolute  in  form,  thicker,  the  crown  surface  smoother,  the 
rid^e  less  angular,  the  punctation  simpler.  There  is  no  other  species  for  which 
it  is  likely  to  be  mistaken. 

Dedicated  to  Prof.  A.  Litton,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Formation  and  locality:  Lower  Carboniferous  limestone  ;  Boone  county,  Mo. 


368  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF  ILLINOIS. 

» 

DELTODUS  ANGUSTUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  iii,  fig.  7. 

TOOTH  narrowly  triangular  in  outline,  about  one  inch  in  ex- 
treme length  by  one-quarter  inch  in  breadth  at  widest  part; 
under  surface  nearly  flat ;  upper  face  coarsely  punctate  and 
raised  by  a  strong  but  obtuse  ridge  which  borders  the  longer 
margin,  running  from  the  narrower  nearly  to  the  broader  end, 
where  it  gradually  slopes  down  to  the  edge.  Parallel  with  the 
margin  of  the  tooth,  opposite  the  ridge,  is  a  broad,  shallow 
furrow,  which  runs  from  the  narrower  to  the  broader  end. 

This  tooth  is  much  smaller  and  relatively  narrower  than  any  other  species  of 
the  genus  hitherto  described.  In  its  general  aspect  it  is  most  like  D.  rhomboi- 
deus,  N.  and  W.  (Geol.  Survey  Illinois,  vol.  2,  p.  100,  pi.  ix,  fig.  8),  but  is  very 
much  narrower  and  has  but  a  single  ridge,  while  D.  rhomboideus  may  be  said 
to  have  three  ridges  crossing  the  crown  longitudinally. 

Formation  and  locality :  Chester  group  ;  Chester,  Illinois. 

DELTODUS  ALATUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  ii,  fig.  6. 

TEETH  of  medium  or  large  size,  thick  and  massive,  broadly 
triangular  in  outline,  strongly  arched  in  both  directions,  crown 
mainly  composed  of  one  high  and  broad  arched  ridge  extend- 
ing from  the  acute  angle  to  the  opposite  side,  bordered  on  the 
shorter  side  of  the  triangle  by  a  relatively  broad,  low  margin 
or  wing ;  bony  base  of  the  tooth  prolonged,  in  a  wing-like  ex- 
pansion from  the  broad,  rounded  extremity  of  the  crown  ridge; 
enamel  surface  all  coarsely  granulo-punctate. 

This  species  has  much  in  common  with  D.  spatulatus  (vol.  2,  p.  100,  pi.  14, 
fig.  7),  but  the  wing-like  expansions  of  the  crown  and  base,  referred  to  in  the 
description  given,  have  not  been  noticed  in  any  specimens  yet  found  of  that 
species,  which  also  comes  from  a  different  horizon,  the  Burlington  limestone, 
where  nearly  all  the  species  are  distinct  from  those  accompanying  the  fossil 
under  consideration.  A  beach-worn  tooth,  from  which  the  margin  had  been 


VERTEBRATES.  369 

removed,  leaving  only  the  spatulate  ridge  of  the  crown,  would  hardly  be  sepa- 
rable from  those  of  D,  spatulattts,  but  as  we  have  teeth  of  both  in  nearly  per- 
fect condition,  we  are  compelled  to  regard  them  as  representatives  of  allied  but 
really  distinct  species. 

Formation  and  locality  :  Keokuk  limestone  j  Wareaw,  Illinois. 


GENUS  3ANDALODUS,  N.  and  W. 
SANDALODUS  CRASSUS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  iv,  fig.  3,  So. 

TEETH  clavate  in  form,  very  thick  and  strong,  two  inches 
long,  five-eighths  inch  broad  where  widest,  three-eighths  inch 
thick  ;  one  margin  nearly  straight,  the  other  forming  a  broad 
arch ;  crown  surface  irregularly  spatulate  in  outline,  strongly 
arched  in  the  line  of  the  shorter  diameter,  toward  the  narrow 
end  showing  a  broad  but  well  marked  longitudinal  furrow ; 
enamel  coating  uniformly,  rather  finely  punctate. 

The  tooth,  of  which  figures  are  now  given,  though  from  the  Lower  Carbonifer- 
ous limestone,  is  remarkably  like  those  of  S.  carbonarms,  described  in  vol.  2, 
p.  104,  though  by  its  greater  relative  thickness,  more  arched  section,  etc.,  spe- 
cifically distinct.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  teeth  of  these  two  species  present 
some  common  characters — in  their  one  straight  and  one  arched  margins,  their 
broadly  rounded  anterior  end — not  possessed  by  the  typical  species  of  Sanda- 
lodus,  so  that  when  a  larger  number  of  specimens  shall  be  obtained  it  may  be 
found  convenient  to  divide  them  into  two  generic  groups.  For  the  present, 
however,  in  consideration  of  the  marked  similarity  which  they  all  exhibit  in  their 
surface  markings,  general  spatulate  form,  longitudinally  plane,  laterally  concave 
base,  it  has  been  thought  best  to  group  them  together. 

We  owe  this  specimen  to  the  courtesy  of  Prof.  Litton,  of  St.  Louis. 

Formation  and  locality;  St.  Louis  limestone j  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

GENUS  PETRODUS  ?     McCoy. 
PETRODUS(?)  PUSTULOSUS,  N,  and  W. 

PI.  u,  fig,  5,  5« ;  pi.  iii,  fig.  & 

DERMAL  tubercles  (?)  of  large  size,  very  thick  and  massive, 
ovoid  or  sub-triangular  in  outline,  flattened  below,  arched  or 

—47 


370  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

conical  above ;  under  surface  flat,  or  slightly  concave,  rough ; 
upper  surface  smooth,  at  summit  somewhat  ridged  with  short 
rows  of  enamelled  tubercles ;  microscopic  structure  showing  a 
congeries  of  irregular,  vertical,  prismatic  columns. 

Of  these  specimens  the  larger  one,  represented  by  fig.  5,  5a,  plate  ii,  is  evi- 
dently much  worn  on  the  upper  surface,  and  is  so  massive  and  strong  that  it 
seems  something  of  a  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  consider  it  a  dermal  tuber- 
cle. It  has,  however,  a  strong  generic  resemblance  to  the  specimens  of  Petro- 
dus  occid entalis,  figured  in  vol.  2,  pi.  iv,  especially  to  that  represented  in  fig. 
16,  and  is  also  so  closely  allied  to  the  smaller  specimen  now  figured  (pi.  iii,  fig. 
6),  that  there  seem  to  be  no  good  grounds  for  separating  them. 

As  has  been  stated  in  our  description  of  P.  occidentalis  (1.  c.),  there  are 
apparently  good  reasons  for  considering  that  to  be  the  dermal  tubercle  of  some 
Plagistomous  fish,  and  the  reasons  given  for  that  conclusion  are  to  a  certain 
degree  applicable  to  the  specimen  before  us.  The  microscopic  structure  is 
certainly  different  from  that  of  any  of  the  teeth  which  have  come  under  our 
notice.  The  mass  of  this  fossil  is  composed  of  contiguous,  prismatic  columns, 
which  run  through  from  the  upper  to  the  lower  surface;  in  the  larger  speci- 
mens apparently  solid  and  homogeneous  in  structure,  while  in  the  smaller  they 
form  polygonal  tubes  which  give  a  reticulated  marking  to  the  tipper  surface. 
These  prisms  may  be  considered  to  be  the  Lomologues  of  the  caleigerous  tubes 
which  by  their  ends  mark  the  enamelled  surface  of  most  of  the  placoid  teeth 
that  have  been  described,  but  in  all  the  species  of  Psammodus,  Deltodus,  etc^ 
these  tubes  are  distinctly  separated  at  their  superior  extremities,  while  they 
inosculate  below.  The  difference  which  the  two  forms  of  structure  exhibit  will 
be  best  understood  if  we  compare  the  calcicerous  tubes  of  JPsammodus,  Cocli- 
liodus,  etc.,  with  Syringopora,  while  the  tubes  or  prisms  of  the  specimens  be. 
fore  us  may  be  compared  to  Favosites. 

Formation  and  locality :  Burlington  limestone;  Burlington,  Iowa. 


GENUS  ASTEROPTYCHIUS,  Ag. 

ASTEROPTYCHIUS  TRIANGULARIS,  N.  and  W. 
PI.  ii,  fig.  4. 

SPINE  short,  robust,  with  a  nearly  equal-sided,  triangular 
section,  the  sides  concave ;  anterior  keel  strong,  sharp,  and 
smooth ;  lateral  surfaces  marked  with  5-6  nearly  equal,  smooth, 


VERTEBRATES.  371 

flattened,  enamelled  carinae,  separated  by  sulci  which  are  lon- 
gitudinally striated.  These  sulci  are  very  unequal  in  width, 
the  anterior  one  being  much  the  broadest,  occupying  nearly 
half  the  lateral  surface,  and  set  with  enamelled  tubercles, 
forming  a  single  row  above,  below  irregularly  scattered.  The 
posterior  denticles  are  not  distinctly  shown  in  the  only  speci- 
men obtained. 

This  species  is  clearly  generically  identical  with  those  described  by  Agassiz 
and  McCoy  (British  Palseoz.  fossils,  pp.  615,  616,  pi.  SK,  figs.  22,  23,  24),  and 
forms  an  interesting  addition  to  the  genera  common  to  the  Lower  Carboniferous 
strata  of  the  old  and  new  worlds.  From  the  two  species  to  which  reference  has 
been  made^this  is,  however,  distinguishable.  From  A.  ornatus,  Ag.,  it  is  sepa- 
rated by  its  single  longitudinal  band  of  tubercles,  and  its  larger  number  of 
lateral  carinae.  From  A.  semi  ornatus,  McCoy,  it  differs  in  its  triangular  sec- 
tion being  much  less  compressed  laterally,  and  in  the  greater  inequality  in  the 
breadth  of  the  sulci. 

Formation  and  locality :  Burlington  limestone ;  Quincy,  Illinois. 


GENUS  LISTRACANTHUS,  N.  and  W. 

SPINES  small,  gently  arched,  flattened,  thin;  sides  marked 
by  numerous  sharp  longitudinal  carinse,  edges  set  with  many 
divergent  slender  acute  teeth,  those  on  the  convex  margin 
most  numerous  and  largest;  base  abruptly  expanded,  and 
obliquely  truncated. 

These  spines  are  considerably  unlike  any  hitherto  described.  They  are 
marked  on  the  sides  somewhat  "like  Leptacanthus,  but  are  flatter,  shorter,  and 
more  rapidly  narrowed  above,  while  the  bristling,  divergent  teeth  of  both  mar- 
gins serve  to  distinguish  them  at  a  glance.  The  base  is  different  from  that  of 
most  defensive  spines,  as  it  is  abruptly  truncated  and  expanded  :  showing  that 
it  was  set  on  the  surface  and  did  not  penetrate  the  integuments. 

In  this  respect  these  spines  resemble  those  of  Climatius,  as  well  as  those  of 
some  recent  scaled  fishes  (Gaslerostcous,  etc.),  and  may  be  considered  modified 
scales  or  cranial  scutes.  They  were  probably  attached  by  their  broad  bases  to 
the  body  or  head,  serving  perhaps  both  for  ornament  and  defense. 


372  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

LISTRACANTHUS  HYSTRix,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  ii,  fig.  3,  3a. 

SPINES  small,  delicate,  thin,  flattened,  broad  below,  rapidly 
narrowed  above,  gently  arched  in  outline,  both  edges  set  with 
sharp,  spiny  teeth  directed  upward;  the  sides  marked  with 
fine  longitudinal  ridges,  which  successively  terminate  above 
in  the  margin. 

Two  specimens  of  this  distinctly  new  form  are  before  us,  of  which  one  is 
three  inches,  the  other,  one  inch  in  length.  In  the  larger  specimen,  the  mar- 
ginal teeth  are  very  numerous,  of  unequal  size — those  of  the  concave  margin 
being  much  the  larger.  In  the  smaller  specimen  they  are  fewer,  relatively 
larger,  and  about  equal  on  both  margins.  The  base  is  the  same  in  each,  ob- 
liquely truncated,  and  expanded  like  a  trumpet  mouth,  indicating  that  it  was 
set  on  the  surface  of  body  or  head,  and  had  not  been  inserted  in  the  integu- 
ments. 

Formation  cind  locality :  Coal  Measures ;  Vermilion  county,  111. 


GENUS  CTENACANTHUS,  Ag. 

CTENACANTHUS  MAYI,  N.  and  W. 

PL  ii,  fig.  2,  2a. 

SPINE  of  medium  size,  six  to  eight  inches  long  by  one  and 
a-quarter  broad  at  base,  much  compressed,  gently  arched  back- 
ward ;  summit  sub-acute,  smooth ;  anterior  and  convex  mar- 
gin sub-acute  and  marked  by  relatively  large  and  remote  an- 
nular tubercles;  posterior  margin  furrowed  longitudinally  and 
striated  transversely,  the  salient  edges  set  above  with  remote 
and  small  denticles ;  sides  flattened,  and  ornamented  by  ten 
or  more  strong  longitudinal  costse  bearing  flattened  annular 
tubercles. 

This  is  a  typical  species  of  the  genus,  and  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  yet 
discovered.  Its  outlines  are  regular  and  elegant;  the  ornamentations  very 
elaborate  and  distinct.  It  may  be  readily  distinguished  from  all  other  known 


VERTEBRATES.  373 

species  by  its  great  relative  breadth,  its  flattened,  compressed  sides,  and  strong, 
crowded  ornamentation.  The  number  of  the  longitudinal  ribs  is  not  the  same 
on  the  two  sides,  and  they  increase  toward  the  base,  as  is  usual  in  the  genus, 
by  their  bifurcation.  They  cover  the  entire  surface  of  the  exposed  portion, 
except  just  at  the  summit,  which  is  smooth,  and  evidently  worn  by  use. 

Formation  and  locality  :  Lower  Carb.  limestone  j  Burlington,  Iowa 


GENUS  PHYSONEMUS,  Ag. 

PHYSONEMUS  GIGAS,  N.  and  W. 

PI.  ii,  %  i. 

SPINE  large,  massive  and  strong,  one  foot  or  more  in  length, 
two  inches  in  breadth,  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness at  the  base ;  strongly  curved,  with  the  summit  turned  to- 
ward the  front;  base  expanded,  flattened,  and  somewhat  bi- 
lobed;  posterior  (convex)  margin  slightly  flattened,  and  ob- 
scurely furrowed  longitudinally;  anterior  (concave)  margin 
sub-acute,  beveled,  the  flattened  faces  which  include  the  angle 
covered  with  a  fine  reticulated  ornamentation,  and  bearing 
each  a  single  row  of  remote,  large  obliquely-stellate,  enamelled 
tubercles,  which  alternate  with  those  of  the  other  side. 

Only  the  basal  portion  of  one  of  these  spines  has,  at  yet,  come  under  our  ob- 
servation. This  is,  however,  sufficient  to  prove  it  quite  different  from  any 
other  hitherto  described  from  an  American  locality.  Its  rarity,  great  size,  pe- 
culiar markings  and  reversed  curve,  all  combine  to  make  it  a  specimen  of  unu- 
sual interest,  but  it  has  a  still  higher  value  in  its  close  generic  identity  and 
specific  affinity  with  a  spine  obtained  by  Prof.  McCoy  from  the  Carboniferous 
limestone  of  Armagh,  Ireland,  and  described  by  him  (Brit.  Paleoz.  Fossils,  p. 
638,  PL  3  f,jftff-  29)  under  the  name  of  Physonemus  arcuatus. 

The  resemblance  between  the  spine  described  and  figured  by  McCoy,  and 
that  before  us,  is  so  strong  that  we  have  had  some  hesitation  in  deciding  them 
to  be  distinct.  Our  spine  is,  however,  many  times  larger  than  that  which  oc- 
curs in  the  Armagh  limestone,  and  the  large  stellate  tubercles  of  the  anterior 
margin  are  very  obliquely  conical,  the  summit  being  turned  toward  the  base  of 
the  spine,  so  that  if  a  little  prolonged  they  would  form  hooks.  In  Ph.  arcuatus 
they  are  represented  as  being  symmetrical.  No  generic  or  specific  description 


374  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

was  ever  given  by  Agassiz  of  the  spine  which  he  named  Ph.  sulteres,  so  that  it 
is  not  certain  that  it  should  be  considered  generically  identical  with  the  one 
now  under  consideration,  but  there  can  be  no  question  that  our  spine  belongs 
to  the  same  genus  with  McCoy's  Ph.  arcuatus,  and  as  he  has  framed  a  generic 
description  on  that,  our  species  may  be  almost  considered  a  type.  The  great 
size  of  our  specimen,  however,  requires  a  qualification  of  so  much  of  McCoy's 
description  as  refers  to  the  size  ("Pin  spine  of  small  or  moderate  size  "). 

Formation  and  locality  :  Burlington  limestone  ;  Quincy,  111. 


Note  on  the  Genus  Rinodus,  N.  and  W. 

When  the  descriptions  of  the  fish  remains  described  in  Vol.  II,  were  writ- 
ten, we  had  not  access  to  all  of  Pander's  Monographs  of  the  Fossil  Fishes  of 
Russia,  Since  then  we  have  obtained  them,  and  find  in  his  paper  (Uler  die 
Ctenodiptfirinen  des  Devonischens  Systems,  pp.  48-51,  PL  viii  and  ix,)  descrip- 
tions and  copious  illustrations  of  a  group  of  fish  teeth  from  the  Devonian  rocks 
of  Russia,  which  include  two  species  unmistakably  generically  identical  with 
that  peculiar  one  described  by  us  (Vol  II,  p.  106,  PI.  x,  figs.  10,  lOa,  lOb),  un- 
der the  name  of  Rinodus  calceolus.  These  are  grouped  by  Pander  in  the  genus 
Ptyctodus,  forming  his  two  species,  Pt.  obliquas  and  Pt.  ancinnatus.  Both  these 
species  are  ornamented  on  the  sides,  where  ours  is  plain,  and  hence  are  appar- 
ently specifically  distinct;  but,  in  the  generality  of  form  and  structure,  the  re- 
semblance is  so  close  that  no  one  would  hesitate  to  include  them  all  in  one  genus. 
Our  species,  Rinodus  calceolus,  must  therefore,  take  the  name  of  Ptyctodm 
calceolus. 

So  far  as  we  can  learn,  no  teeth  of  this  kind  have  been  found  elsewhere  in 
Europe  than  in  Russia,  and  there  only  in  the  Devonian  strata.  It  is,  there- 
fore, a  fact  of  peculiar  geological  interest  that  a  very  closely  allied  species 
should  reappear  in  far  distant  America,  in  the  same  geological  horizon. 


PART  II. 

PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

SECTION   II. 


REPORT  ON  THE  FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  ILLINOIS. 
BY  LEO  LESQUEKEUX. 


FOSSIL     PLANTS. 


INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS. 

The  generic  classification  of  the  species  of  fossil  plants,  enumerated  and  de- 
scribed in  this  paper,  is  the  same  as  that  in  the  second  volume  of  this  Report. 
Perhaps  it  would  have  been  advisable  to  modify,  by  subdivision,  a  number  of 
our  genera,  especially  for  some  species  of  ferns,  of  which  we  have  recently 
obtained  fruiting  specimens,  which  seem  to  indicate  a  relation  to  peculiar  spe- 
cies of  the  present  time.  But  as  this  Report  is  a  mere  continuation  of  the  first, 
a  change  of  classification  would  have  rendered  it  more  obscure  to  the  student, 
and  would  have  required  a  long  discussion  on  the  value  of  some  of  these  new 
genera,  without  any  advantage  to  science.  For  the  fructifications  of  the  fossil 
ferns  are  scarcely,  if  ever  seen,  except  obscurely,  through  the  substance  of  the 
leaflets  under  which  they  are  attached,  and  even  when  the  position  of  the  sort 
or  groups  of  fructifications  relatively  to  the  veins  and  veinlets,  or  to  the  bor- 
ders of  the  leaflets  can  be  ascertained,  their  true  form,  and  especially  the  mode 
of  attachment  and  of  dehiscence  of  their  indusium  cannot  be  recognized.  The 
natural  affinity  of  these  fruiting  fossil  fragments  is,  therefore,  always  more  or 
less  uncertain,  and  a  mere  change  of  name,  without  sufficient  authority,  tends  to 
obscure,  rather  than  to  enlighten  the  classification.  I  have,  therefore,  merely 
appended  some  remarks  to  all  the  species,  which,  by  their  known  organized 
parts,  may  differ  in  some  way  from  the  characters  of  the  genera  to  which  they 
are  united.  I  have  also,  in  this  paper,  omitted  to  repeat  descriptions  of  genera 
and  of  species  already  given  in  the  second  volume  of  the  Report,  but  have 
added  to  the  names  such  remarks  as  have  been  suggested  by  the  discovery  of 
more  complete  specimens.  In  botanical  palaeontology,  we  have  to  deal  merely 
with  fragments,  and  none  of  these  separate  fragments  are  sufficient,  in  them- 
selves, to  indicate  the  general  character  of  the  whole  plant  to  which  they  be- 
long. The  discovery  of  each  part  of  a  fossil  plant  adds,  therefore,  to  our  ac- 
quaintance with  a  species,  and  the  record  and  description  of  any  of  the  separ- 

—48 


378  INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS. 

ate  members,  are  often  of  more  value  to  botanical  science,  than  the  description 
of  so-called  new  species,  established  on  some  remains  of  a  peculiar  form,  and  of 
unknown  relation. 

The  number  and  diversity  of  the  plants  published  in  this  volume,  tend  to 
indicate  the  richness  of  the  fossil  flora  of  our  Coal  Measures,  and  at  the  same 
time,  show  an  increasing  activity  in  research. 

The  publication  of  the  fossil  flora  of  the  second  volume  of  the  Geological 
Survey  of  Illinois,  has  excited  a  remarkable  interest  for  botanical  palaeontology. 
Not  only  private  gentlemen  have  given  their  time  to  the  collection  of  speci- 
mens, but  local  societies  have  been  formed  for  encouraging  research,  and 
founding  cabinets  of  fossil  plants.  We  can  therefore  hope  soon  to  see  our  fos- 
sil flora  in  America  as  thoroughly  studied  and  as  well  known  as  that  of  Europe, 
where  this  field  of  science  has  been  ardently  worked  for  more  than  a  century. 

Among  those  to  whom  the  survey  is  especially  indebted  for  the  communica- 
tion of  valuable  material  used  in  the  preparation  of  this  Report,  thanks  are  due 
to  Mr.  Jos.  Even,  of  Morris,  who.  after  the  loss  of  his  valuable  cabinet  by  fire, 
has  begun  again  his  researches  with  renewed  zeal  and  great  success  ;  and  to 
Mr.  S.  S.  Strong,  of  the  same  place,  who  has  most  liberally  presented  the  State 
Cabinet  and  myself  with  a  large  number  of  specimens  of  rare  and  new  species. 
Messrs.  M.  Prendel  and  John  Collins,  also  of  Morris;  Mr.  M.  S.  Hall,  for- 
merly of  Wilmington,  and  Mr.  Thos.  Tijou,  of  Dnquoin,  have  also  furnished 
valuable  contributions  to  this  Report.  As,  moreover,  the  assistants  of  the  State 
Geological  Survey  were  instructed  by  the  State  Geologist  carefully  to  look  for 
and  preserve  specimens  in  their  explorations,  and  as  the  Director  of  the  Sur- 
vey and  myself  worked  hard  in  collecting  specimens  as  often  as  opportunity 
permitted,  the  amount  of  materials  which  have  been  examined  for  this  report, 
and  which  now  mostly  belong  to  the  State  Cabinet  in  Springfield,  are  exten- 
sive and  of  great  value. 


DESCRIPTION    OF   NEW    SPECIES,    AND    AN    ENUMERATION, 
WITH  REMARKS,  ON  SPECIES  ALREADY   KNOWN. 


FUCOIDES,  OR  MARINE  PLANTS, 


GENUS  CHONDRITES.     Sternb.,  Vers.  2,  p.  25. 

FROND  cartilaginous ;  stem  filiform,  dichotomous;  branches 
cylindrical. 

CHONDRITES  COLLETTI,  Sp.  nov. 

FROND  large,  dividing  fan-like  into  numerous  crowded 
branches,  dichotomous,  either  diverging  on  both  sides  of  the 
main  axis  or  arched  on  one  side ;  ultimate  divisions  simple, 
linear,  cylindrical,  with  irregular  borders. 

This  species  is  not  as  yet  satisfactorily  known.  I  have  but  recently  received 
from  Mr.  John  Collett,  Eugene,  Ind.,  some  specimens  of  a  black,  fossiiiferous 
limestone,  whose  surface  is  marked  with  the  remains  of  these  plants,  true  Fu- 
coides.  The  species  distantly  resembles,  by  the  curving  of  its  branches,  Fu- 
coides  cauda  galli,  Van.  But  it  is  evidently  a  compound  of  separate  branches, 
dichotomous  from  near  the  base  of  the  frond  (the  base  is  broken  from  the  spe- 
cimen), the  branches  in  dividing  and  ascending,  forming  fan-like  or  flabellate 
fronds.  The  branches,  which  are  ultimately  simple,  leave  upon  the  stone  a 
half  cylindrical  impression,  and  are  distinct  from  each  other.  The  locality  is 
indicated  as  Towle's  mill,  five  miles  east  of  Lodi,  Ind.,  and  the  geological  posi- 
tion about  the  level  of  coal  No.  1  of  the  111.  section.  If  it  is  so,  this  black 


380  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

fossiliferous  limestone,  whose  characters  are  so  much  like  those  of  the  Penna. 
black  limestone  seen  at  the  top  of  the  millstone  grit  with  Caulerpites  margi- 
natus,  Lesqx.,  Jour.  Am.  Phil.  Soc.,  vol.  13,  p.  313,  occupies  the  same  level. 
This  is  a  peculiar  coincidence  of  a  singular  formation,  which,  exceptionally  in 
the  flora  of  the  Coal  Measures  contains  Fucoides,  in  both  the  coal  basins  of 
Penna.  and  of  Illinois. 


FRONDS  AND  BRANCHES  OF  FERNS, 


GENUS  NEUROPTERIS,  Brgt. 

This  genus,  limited  as  it  is,  vol.  ii,  p.  427  of  this  Eeport  contains  some  spe- 
cies, whose  leaflets,  more  generally  round,  have  no  distinct  medial  nerve,  and 
which,  from  this  peculiarity  of  form  and  nervation,  are  referable  to  the  genus 
Nephropteris,  Brgt.,  already  a  modification  or  subdivision  of  the  genus  Oy- 
clopteris,  of  the  same  author.  As  some  of  our  species  are  represented,  even 
on  the  same  specimens,  by  fronds  bearing  both  oblong  leaflets  with  a  well 
marked  medial  nerve,  and  nearly  round  ones  without  it;  or  by  branches  bear- 
ing round  or  polyform.  pinnules  with  a  definite  medial  nerve,  and  oblong  ones 
without  a  trace  of  it,  the  subdivision  of  the  genus  Neuropteris  is  as  difficult  as 
it  is  inconvenient,  with  the  materials  now  at  hand.  This  opinion  is  further 
supported  by  the  descriptions  and  figures  of  some  of  our  species. 


NEUROPTERIS  HIRSUTA,  Lesqx. 

Boston  Jour,  of  Nat.  Hist.,   1854;  State  Geol.  Rept.  of  Penna.,  p.  857,  PI.  iii,  6/,  PI.  iv, 
fig.  1  to  16,  excl.  syn. 

The  degree  of  relation  of  this  species  with  Neuropteris  cordata,  Brgt.,  is  not 
yet  ascertained.  In  his  admirable  work  on  the  Fossil  Flora  of  the  Permian 
(1864-65)  p.  100,  PI.  xi,  fig.  1  and  2,  Prof.  G-oppert  has  published  as  Neurop- 
teris cordata,  Brgt.,  part  of  a  pinna,  bearing  on  one  side  of  its  broad  rachis  a 
series  of  alternate,  oblong,  cordate,  obtuse  leaflets,  one  inch  broad,  four  inches 
long,  marked  with  a  thick  medial  nerve,  and  on  the  other  side  diminutive  leaf- 
lets, very  short  and  enlarged,  resembling,  according  to  the  author's  remarks, 
some  of  those  of  the  polymorphous  Neuropteris  auriculata,  Brgt.  If  the  true 
Neuropteris  cordata  has  such  leaflets  of  various  forms  alternately  attached  to  a 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  381 

common  rachis,  as  Goppert  describes,  our  Neuropteris  hirsuta  is  certainly  not 
identical  with  it.  For  this  very  common  and  polymorphous  spfecies  of  ours, 
whose  frond  is  sometimes  5  feet  long,  and  at  least  tripinnate,  and  generally  bears 
compound  tertiary  alternate  pinna?  or  pinnules  formed  of  a  large  oblong  or 
lanceolate  obtuse  leaflet,  cordiform  at  base,  having  on  each  side,  and  attached 
to  the  base  of  its  slightly  elongated  pedicel,  a  small  round  or  veniform  pinnule, 
which  is  as  different  in  its  form  as  in  its  nervation  from  the  main  middle  leaf- 
let. This  one  has  generally  a  well  marked,  sometimes  thick  medial  nerve, 
from  which  the  veins  go  out,  anastomosing  and  curving  to  the  borders  ;  while 
the  veins  of  the  small  basilar  leaflets  all  come  out  of  an  enlarged  or  circular 
base,  without  trace  of  a  medial  nerve.  These  leaflets  are,  therefore,  true  Ne- 
phropteris,  while  the  main  pinnule  is  a  Neuropteris.  We  have  obtained  from 
various  parts  of  our  Coal  Measures,  where  this  species  is  the  most  abundant  of 
all,  numerous  specimens  which  all  show  the  same  characters.  The  pinnae  de- 
crease in  size  to  the  point,  and  the  two  upper  leaflets  under  the  terminal  pin- 
nule are  .simple  or  do  not  bear  at  the  base  the  small  round  pinnules;  all  the 
others  are  compound.  This  terminal  pinnule  is  large,  round  oval,  obtuse  and 
entire.  On  the  other  side,  Prof.  F.  A.  Rremer  has  published  in  the  Paleonto- 
graphia  (1860)  p.  186,  PI.  29,  fig.  4,  a  leaf  which  he  considers  identical  with 
Neuropteris  corddta,  Brgt.,  though  he  calls  it  Dictyopteris  cordata.  It  resem- 
bles one  large  leaflet  of  Neuropteris  hirsuta  by  its  form,  and  by  the  straight 
pointed  hairs  with  which  its  surface  is  marked.  But  in  the  leaf  figured  by  the 
German  author,  the  veins  and  veinlets  are  undulate,  and  in  curving  and  anas- 
tomosing, they  pass  from  one  to  the  other,  forming  a  kind  of  reticulation,  like 
that  which  characterizes  the  genus  Dictyopteris.  As  this  peculiar  mode  of 
reticulation  is  not  remarked  in  our  species,  we  have  to  consider  it  as  different 
from  Neuropteris  cordata,  Brgt. 


NEUROPTERIS  FASCICULATA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  v,  fig.  1  to  4. 

FROND  pinnately  divided,  bearing  alternate  ovate  lanceolate 
pointed  leaflets,  variable  in  size,  irregularly  rounded  or  auri- 
culate  at  the  base,  being  more  extended  on  one  side  than  on 
the  other,  or  truncate  on  one  side,  and  rounded  on  the  other. 
Medial  nerve  distinct,  and  comparatively  broad,  either  de- 
scending to  the  point  of  the  leaflets,  or  disappearing  at  or  be- 
low the  middle,  sometimes  absent ;  veinlets  thin,  close  to  each 
other,  scarcely  distinct,  arched,  forking  in  ascending. 


382  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

This  species,  by  the  divisions  of  the  leaves,  presents  a  truly  peculiar  appear- 
ance, which  floes  not  compare  with  any  previously  known  fossil  plants,  except 
perhaps  with  some  of  the  abnormal  forms  of  Neuropteris  hirsuta.  It  is  evi- 
dently distinct  from  this  last  species,  as  shown  by  its  smooth  (not  hairy)  sur- 
face, its  thinner  texture,  its  more  closely  approached  veinlets;  by  the  pointed 
form  and  the  peculiar  division  of  the  leaflets,  which  are  generally  united  three 
together,  and  by  a  subdivision  of  the  main  rachis.  In  the  specimen  repre- 
sented by  fig.  3,  the  large  leaflet  has  a  well  marked  medial  nerve,  while  the 
small  ones  have  no  trace  of  it.  The  specimen  represented  by  fig.  4  is  creased 
in  the  middle,  but  the  secondary  nerves  come  out  from  the  broad,  round  base, 
as  in  the  genus  Cydopteris.  I  consider  it  as  one  of  the  leaflets  attached  to  a 
round,  perhaps  climbing  stem,  while  the  others  represent  the  top  leaves  I 
have  only  seen  of  this  species  the  four  specimens  figured  here.  Figs.  2  and  3 
are  from  the  bottom  clay  of  the  upper  coal  bed  of  Neelyville,  Morgan  Co. ;  the 
two  others  in  concretions  from  Mazon  creek,  Grundy  Co. 


NEUROPTERIS  COLLINSII,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  v,  fig.  5  and  6. 

THE  mode  of  division  of  this  species  is  still  unknown,  as  it 
has  been  found  as  yet  only  in  separate  leaflets.  These  leaflets 
are  large,  from  two  to  three  inches  long,  one  and  a-half  to  two 
inches  wide,  either  oval  in  outline  or  oblong  ovate,  and  smooth. 
The  veins  and  veinlets  are  thin  and  distinct,  inflated  near  the 
base,  emerging  from  an  oblique  or  horizontal  truncate  broad 
base,  many  times  forking  in  ascending,  and  but  slightly  arched. 
The  leaflets  have  no  trace  of  a  medial  nerve,  and  could  not, 
therefore,  be  referable  to  the  genus  NepJiropteris,  Brgt 

But  as  it  has  been  seen  to  be  the  case  with  species  of  this  genus,  other  leaf- 
lets, taken  from  different  parts  of  the  same  plant,  may  have  another  kind  of 
nervation.  Our  species  is  related  to  Neuropteris  ingens,  Lind  &  Hutt.,  Foss. 
Flora,  vol.  2,  PI.  9 la,  by  the  form  and  size  of  the  leaflets,  but  it  differs  by  the 
mode  of  division  of  the  veins,  which  do  not  radiate  from  one  common  point, 
but  ascend  in  slightly  curving  lines  to  the  borders  from  an  enlarged  base, 
where  they  become  parallel,  resembling,  in  that  manner,  the  nervation  of  an 
Odontopteris.  In  our  species  also,  the  veins,  though  inflated  near  the  base,  are 
not  as  distinct  as  in  the  English  species,  which  is  compared  to  Neuropteris  au- 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  383 

riculata,  Brgt.,  a  plant  which  has  not  yet  been  discovered  in  our  Coal  Meas- 
ures. The  two  specimens  figured  in  this  Keport,  have  been  found  in  the  con- 
cretions of  Mazon  creek,  the  first  one,  fig.  5,  by  Mr.  John  Collins,  to  whom  the 
species  is  dedicated.  Other  and  larger  leaflets  of  the  same  species  have  been 
obtained  from  the  same  place. 


NEUROPTERIS  CAPITATA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  vii,  fig.  1,  and  PI.  viii,  fig.  9. 

FROND  or  part  of  frond  bi-pinnately  divided,  triangular  in 
outline  or  tapering  upwards  from  an  enlarged  base  ;  pinnse 
linear,  with  alternate,  oblong,  short,  very  obtuse,  broad,  con- 
tiguous pinnules,  and  a  proportionally  very  large  triangular 
obtusely  pointed  terminal  leaflet,  obtusely  lobed  on  each  side 
near  its  base.  Medial  nerve,  none;  veinlets  scarcely  visible 
to  the  naked  eye,  coming  out  from  the  narrowed  base  of  the 
leaflets,  strongly  arched  towards  the  borders,  with  numerous 
bifurcations.  At  the  upper  part,  or  near  the  point  of  the 
frond,  as  seen  in  PL  vii,  fig.  1,  the  pinnae  become  shorter,  less 
divided,  and  at  last  mere  pinnules  attached  to  the  rachis  by  a 
broad  pedicel.  All  leaflets  are  unsymmetrical  at  the  base, 
being  auricled  or  elongated  downwards,  or  toward  the  main 
rachis,  and  merely  rounded  on  the  other  side. 

The  general  appearance  of  this  species  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  Neu- 
roptcris  Loschii,  Brgt.,  from  which  it  is  readily  distinguished  by  its  propor- 
tionally broader,  round-topped  pinnules,  more  abruptly  cut  at  the  base,  its  pol- 
ished smooth  surface,  and  the  large  terminal  triangular  leaflet.  The  large  spe- 
cimen figured  is  from  Murphysborough  ;  the  other  has  bten  found  in  concre- 
tions at  Mazon  creek.  The  same  species  is  abundant  in  the  roof  shales  of  the 
main  four-feet  coal  bed  at  Yellow  creek,  Ohio. 


384  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

NEUROPTERIS  FIMBRIATA,  Lesqx. 

PL  vi,  fig.  4. 

Cy dopier  is  fimbriata,  Lesqx. 

Journ.  Bost.  Soe.  Nat.  Hist.,  1854,  p.  416. 

This  species  has  also  been  published  in  part,  and  from  isolated   leaflets,  in 
the  Geol.  Rep.  of  Penn.,  p.  855,  PI.  iv.,  fig.  17  and  18,  as  a  Cyclopteris.     The 
specimens  now  on  hand  represent  it  with  a  pinnate  frond  having  an  undulating, 
flexuous,  round,  finely  striate  rachis,  marked  with  points  as  if  it  had  been 
scaly,  which  bears  alternate,  distant,  broadly  oblong  or,  ovate,  sometimes  nearly 
round  leaflets,  entire  at  the  round  auriculate  base,  attached  to  the  rachis  by  a 
broad  pedicel.     These  leaflets  are  finely  fringed  from  the  middle  upwards  by 
long,  undulating,  narrow  laeinise.     The  veins  which  come  out  parallel  from 
the  broad  pedicel  and  divide  three  or  four  times  in  ascending,  are  thin  but  dis- 
tinct, slightly  arched  towards  the  borders  and  ascend  to  the  top  of  the  fringes. 
The  specimen  figured  here  from  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  and  found  by 
Mr.  S.  S.  Strong,  seems  to  show  that  the  species  was  a  climbing  fern  resem- 
bling by  its  nervation  and  its  mode  of  division  a  Lygodium.     It  has  been  sup- 
posed that  the  fimbriate  leaves  were  the  fruiting  part  of  a  species,  which  in  its 
sterile  form  has  entire  leaflets,  as  it  happens  with  some  ferns  of  our  time.  But 
the  fringe  is  not  inflated,  and  the  lacinise,  though  very  distinct  in  some  speci- 
mens, do  not  show  any  trace  of  remains  of  sporanges.     Like  the  former  spe- 
cies, this  one  is,  by  its  nervation,  a  Nephropteris,  at  least  so  far  as  it  is  known. 
It  varies  much  in  the  size  of  its  leaflets,  some  being  still  smaller  than  those 
figured  here,  while  most  of  the  others  found  detached  from  the  stem,  and 
which  are  broad  oval  or  nearly  round  in  outline,  are  about  two  inches  or  more 
in  diameter.     It  is  one  cf  the  finest  and  rarest  species  of  our  Coal  Measures, 
though  it  has  been  found  at  different  places  over  the  whole  extent  of  the  N. 
American  coal  fields.     When  this  species  was  first  published,  no  plant  of  this 
kind  had  yet  been   found  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Europe,  but  recently  Prof. 
Heer  has  given  in  his  Urwdtder  Schweiz,  under  the  name  of  Neuropteris  lace- 
rata,  Heer,  1.  cit.,  p.  12,  fig.  11,  a  species  which  has  a  near  relation  to  ours.    It 
is  a  round  leaflet,  bordered  by  a  narrow  fringe,  which,  unlike  ours,  is  nearly 
regular  with  equal  narrow  divisions.     As  far  as  can  be  seen  from  a  mere  wood- 
cut, the  species  is  a  truly  different  one.     Prof.  W.  P.  Schimper,  in  his  Palfeon- 
tologie  vegetale,  seems  to  consider  both  species  as  identical,  for  he  says  of  Neu- 
ropteris (Cyclopteris)  lacerata,  Herr,  that  it  is  found  at  Saarbruck  and  in  some 
places  in  North  America.     If  both  species  are  identical,  our  name  has  the 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  385 

right  of  precedence,  and  should  be  preserved,  it  having  been  published,  with 
description,  in  1854,  in  the  Journal  of  the  Bost.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.;  and  in  1858, 
in  the  Report  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Penna.,  with  figures  and  description, 
while  Prof.  Herr's  species  was  published  ten  years  later. 


NEUROPTERIS  VERMICULARIS,  Lesqx. 

PI.  vii,  fig.  1,  2,  3. 

This  species,  described  in  the  4th  vol.  of  the  Geol.  Report  of  Kentucky,  p. 
434,  has  not  before  been  figured.  The  frond  is  apparently  tripinnate,  with 
linear  lanceolate  somewhat  obtuse  pinnje,  and  alternate,  oblong  very  obtuse 
leaflets,  placed  ata  short  distance  from  each  other.  They  are  slightly  narrowed 
in  the  middle,  turned  upwards  or  a  little  scythe-shaped,  and  nearly  round,  and 
equal  at  the  corners  of  the  base.  The  terminal  leaflet,  fig.  3,  is  oblong  obtuse, 
regularly  and  equally  undulate-lobed  on  both  sides.  The  nervation  is  particu- 
larly distinct,  the  medial  nerve  being  short  and  thick,  and  the  veinlets  dis- 
tant, twice  forking  in  curving  to  the  borders,  round,  deeply  marked,  easily  de- 
tached from  the  substance  of  the  leaves,  polished  and  thus  appearing  like  pieces 
of  rain  worms.  The  main  rachis  is  broad,  straight,  and  irregularly  striate. 
The  general  appearance  of  this  species  is  like  that  of  the  large  forms  of  Neu- 
roptcris  rarinervis,  Bunb.,  but  its  nervation  is  far  different,  the  veinlets  in  this 
last  species  being  flat,  or  looking  as  if  formed  of  two  parallel  lines. 

Found  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek. 


NEUROPTERIS  VERBEN^EFOLIA,  Lesqx. 

PL  vi,  fig.  5  and  6. 

FROND  pinnate ;  rachis  round,  slightly  and  regularly  striate; 
leaves  alternate,  varying  in  length  from  half  an  inch  to  four 
inches  and  a-half,  proportionally  broad,  ovate  lanceolate-obtuse 
in  outline,  truncate  at  the  base,  regularly  serrulate-toothed  on 
the  borders,  attached  to  the  rachis  by  a  broad  pedicel,  medial 
nerve  narrow  but  distinct ;  veinlets  distinct  and  distant,  thin, 
moderately  arched  in  ascending  to  the  borders,  forking  twice, 
the  last  divisions  descending  to  the  point  of  the  teeth. 

—49 


386  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

The  figure  and  description  given  of  this  species  in  the  2d  vol.  of  this  Report, 
p.  431,  pi.  xxxvii,  fig.  1,  are  imperfect,  being  made  from  the  only  specimen 
found  at  the  time.  Better  specimens  now  on  hand  show  that  this  fern  evi- 
dently belongs  to  the  genus  Neuropteris,  not  only  by  its  nervation,  but  by  its 
ramification  and  the  position  of  the  leaves  on  the  rachis.  The  species  nearest 
to  this  is  Neuropteris  crenulata,  Brgt.,  easily  distinguished  by  its  elongated  nar- 
rower leaves,  with  crenulate  rather  than  toothed  borders,  and  the  thickness  of 
its  veinlets.  Our  fig.  5  represents  a  specimen  whose  upper  leaflets,  scarcely 
dentate,  have  the  surface  wrinkled  around,  and  marked  by  points  of  irregular 
size,  placed  without  order,  which  resemble  traces  of  fructification,  the  epider- 
mis appearing  as  if  it  had  been  perforated  by  glomerules  of  spores  placed  under 
it.  This  peculiar  appearance  may  result  from  the  process  of  maceration.  It 
is  too  obscurely  marked  to  merit  more  than  a  passing  mention. 


NEUROPTERIS  RARINERVIS,  Bunb. 

PI.  viii,  fig.  1  to  6. 

The  specimens  figured  1  to  4  on  this  plate,  from  the  concretions  of  Mazon 
creek,  bear  round  leaflets,  apparently  attached  on  both  sides  of  a  secondary 
rachis,  as  are  generally  the  pinnules  of  a  Neuropteris.  According  to  this  ap- 
pearance we  should  have  not  only  to  consider  these  leaves  as  representing  a 
new  species,  but  also  to  accept  the  genus  Nephropteris  or  Cyclopteris  for  their 
classification.  But  I  think  that  the  parts  represented  in  fig.  1  and  2,  are  not 
fragments  of  a  secondary  pinna  with  alternate  pinnules  attached  to  it,  but  only 
parts  of  primary  pinnae  with  the  basilar  leaflets  of  the  secondary  pinna-  at- 
tached to  them,  in  the  same  way  as  such  leaflets  are  attached  along  the  rachis 
in  fig.  6,  which  represents  a  fragment  of  pinna  of  Neuropteris  rarinervis. 

This  remarkable  specimen  is  also  from  Mazon  oreek.  As  is  easily  seen,  it 
shows  a  primary  rachis  with  the  base  of  its  diversions  marked  by  the  remains 
of  the  secondary  branches  and  the  two  basilar  leaflets  on  each  side  of  them.  If 
this  branch  were  longer,  we  should  see  these  basilar  leaflets  more  and  more  en- 
larged, becoming  round  farther  down,  and  then  showing  the  same  forms  as  we 
see  on  fig.  1  and  2.  In  vol.  2,  p.  429,  in  a  foot-note  of  this  Report,  mention 
is  made  of  a  specimen  from  Newport,  R.  I.,  which  bears  on  the  same  part  of  a 
frond  two  round  cyclopteroidal  leaflets  attached  at  the  axil  of  secondary  pin- 
nae, while  the  same  pinnae  bear  true  neuropteroidal  oblong  pinnules,  with  a 
medial  nerve.  As  this  specimen  elucidates  the  position  of  the  two  kinds  of 
leaflets,  and  as  it  is  the  only  one  found  as  yet  elucidating  this  peculiar  differ- 
ence, I  have  figured  it  fig.  5,  as  affording  the  most  conclusive  representation  of 
the  unity  of  both  the  genera  Neuropteris  and  Nephropteris.  This  figure,  I 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  387 

think,  demonstrates  that  all  the  leaflets  represented  in  our  plate  viii,  fig.  1  to 
6,  belong  to  the  same  species.  The  cyclopteroidal  leaflets  of  this  species  vary 
in  size  from  little  more  than  half  an  inch  to  four  or  five  inches  in  diameter. 


NEUROPTERIS  INFLATA,  Lesqx. 

Geol.  Rep.  of  111.,  vol.  ii,  p.  43],  PL  xxxvii,  fig.  2. 

Though  a  few  specimens  of  this  species  have  been  found  in  the  concretions 
of  Mazon  creek  since  its  description  was  made,  these  specimens  do  not  indicate 
in  the  nature  and  characters  of  this  plant  anything  more  than  was  formerly 
known.  All  these  specimens  have  only  two  basilar  ?  round  inflated  leaflets, 
of  a  thick  coriaceous  substance,  without  any  traces  of  lateral  branches.  One 
of  the  specimens  has  the  leaflet  of  one  side  lacerated,  or  cut  in  lanceolate  linear 
laciniae,  much  like  the  leaves  published  in  the  Geol.  Report  of  Penna  ,  p.  85H, 
PI.  v,  fig.  5,  as  Cyclopteris  Germari,  Gopp?  As  the  specimen  which  I  con- 
sidered then  (1854,  Bost.  Soe.  of  N.  H.)  as  referable  to  Goppert's  species,  is 
not  in  my  possession,  I  cannot,  by  comparison,  ascertain  if  it  is  or  is  not  iden- 
tical with  ours.  Moreover,  as  both  the  European  and  the  American  species 
are  founded  on  mere  fragments  of  specimens,  we  must  consider  the  species 
which  they  represent  as  still  uncertain  or  doubtful. 


NEUROPTERIS  CORIACEA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  viii,  fig.  7  and  8. 

WE  have  of  this  species  only  a  small  branch  in  a  concretion 
from  Mazon  creek.  It  is  part  of  a  secondary  pinna,  lanceolate 
in  outline,  bearing  nearly  opposite  oblong  lanceolate  obtusely 
pointed  pinnules,  turned  upwards  at  an  acute  angle  to  the  ra- 
chis,  and  gradually  diminishing  in  size  to  the  terminal  leaflet, 
which  appears  proportionally  broad.  As  it  is  broken  from  the 
middle  upwards,  its  form  is  unknown.  The  texture  of  the 
leaflets  is  thick,  and  the  smooth  epidermis  is  inflated  along  the 
veins  and  veinlets  in  an  irregular  manner,  as  seen  in  fig.  8, 
enlarged. 

This  inflation  may  be  caused  by  groups  of  spores  or  elongated  sori,  placed 
along  the  veins  which  are  twice  forked,  and  along  their  divisions.     A  swelling 


388  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

of  this  kind  on  the  veinlets  of  Neuropteris  eorafata,  Brgt.,  and  which  is  also 
often  remarked  on  specimens  of  our  N~.  hirsuta,  has  been  considered  by  Euro- 
pean authors  as  representing  organs  of  fructification.  As  the  form  and  thick- 
ness of  the  inflation  is  very  irregular,  it  may  be  caused  on  both  species  by  some 
casual  influence  in  the  process  of  mineralization.  The  basilar  leaflets  of  this 
species  show  a  tendency  to  be  divided  into  lobes  and  pinnules,  having  thus  the 
same  form  as  some  of  those  of  Neuroptcris  Desorii,  Lesqx.,  to  which  this  spe- 
cies is  related,  and  from  which  it  differs  only  by  the  thick  epidermis,  and  by 
the  more  distant  ramification  of  the  veinlets.  The  small  fragment  mentioned 
in  vol.  ii  of  this  Keport,  p.  430,  as  possibly  belonging  to  N.  Desorii,  Lesqx., 
is  referable  to  this  species. 


GENUS  DICTYOPTERIS,  Gutbier. 

Aldr.  u  Verst.,  p.  62. 

FROND  at  least  tripinnate,  pinnae  linear-lanceolate,  bearing 
alternate  leaflets  much  variable  in  size,  ovate-oblong  obtuse 
squarely  cut  at  the  base,  with  equal  lobes  on  both  sides,  or 
with  the  lower  lobes  slightly  elongated.  Medial  nerve  none, 
or  merely  basilar ;  veinlets  anastomosing  from  the  base,  arched 
towards  the  borders,  but  irregularly  undulating  in  ascending, 
and  forming  by  their  contact  an  oval-polygonal  reticulation. 

DlCTYOPTERIS    RUBELLA,  Sp.  nOV. 

PI.  vii,  fig.  2  to  6. 

FROND  bi  or  tripinnate ;  pinnae  linear-lanceolate,  with  alter- 
nate oblong  or  oval-lanceolate  leaflets,  attached  to  the  rachis 
by  a  broad  pedicel.  The  inferior  basilar  lobes,  as  is  generally 
the  case  in  the  species  of  the  genus  Neuropteris,  are  slightly 
longer  or  protracted  into  a  little  obtuse  auricle.  The  terminal 
leaflet,  somewhat  broader  and  longer,  is  oval  in  outline,  ob- 
tuse, and  cut  on  one  side  into  a  short  obtuse  lobe,  fig.  2.  The 
leaflets  of  the  large  inferior  pinnae  are  more  distant,  larger, 
truncate  at  the  base,  slightly  scythe-shaped  outwards;  and 


FOSSIL   I-LANTS.  389 

the  axillar  pinnules,  still  larger  and  cyclopteroidal  in  form,  are 
attached  around  the  stem  by  a  half  circular  notch,  nearly  sur- 
rounded by  two  broad  auricles.  The  veins,  anastomosing  from 
the  base  without  medial  nerve  and  in  their  undulations  form- 
ing oval-polygonal  elongated  meshes,  curve  towards  the  bor- 
ders, where  the  last  divisions  end  in  arched  close  lines. 

In  this  species,  found  in  soft  shales  at  Murphysborough,  the  epidermis  or 
substance  of  the  leaflets  has  become,  by  maceration,  separable  from  the  stone, 
and  is  easily  obtained  in  lamellae.  Whole  pinnules  can  be  got  in  that  way 
without  any  earthy  substance  adhering  to  them ;  and  in  that  semi-opaque  state 
their  texture,  and  nervation  are  easily  studied  with  the  glass.  The  veins  pre- 
sent, under  the  microscope,  the  appearance  marked  in  fig.  2. 

When  the  2d  vol.  of  this  Report  was  published,  no  species  of  this  genus  had 
been  found  in  Illinois.  Now  this  new  one,  obtained  in  numerous  and  well 
preserved  specimens,  not  only  adds  a  beautiful  species  to  the  flora  of  the  Coal 
Measures,  but  furnishes  us  new  evidence  on  some  questions  concerning  the  vege- 
tation of  plants  of  this  kind.  First,  our  specimens  prove,  beyond  doubt,  the 
close  relation  of  this  genus  with  the  former.  The  form  of  the  fronds,  of  the 
pinnaae,  of  the  leaflets,  and  their  variety  in  size  and  shape,  are  exactly  alike  in 
both  genera.  Truly  but  for  its  nervation,  we  should  have  in  our  new  Dictyop- 
teris a  Neuropteris  scarcely  distinguishable  from  Neuropteris  Loschii,  or  Neu- 
ropteris  tenui folia.  But  further,  the  peculiar  nervation,  as  well  as  the  peculiar 
reddish  color  of  the  plant  in  its  fossil  state,  permit  us  to  identify  the  large 
leaflets  of  the  species  of  this  genus  with  the  small  ones,  or  afford  the  proof  that 
for  Dictyopteris  as  for  Neuropteris,  the  large  round  cyclopteroidal  pinnules, 
always  found  isolated,  really  belong  to  species  represented  by  pinnae  bearing 
small  leaflets  of  a  widely  different  form.  It  would  not  certainly  be  possible  to 
admit  specific  identity  between  the  leaves  represented,  pi.  vii,  fig.  2,  and  those 
of  fig.  5,  without  those  peculiarities  of  structure  remarked  in  both. 

The  species  of  Dictyopteris  are  rare  in  the  Coal  Measures.  In  the  United 
States  none  had  as  yet  been  found  but  D.  obliqua,  Bunb.,  whose  remains  are  very 
abundant  at  some  places  in  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  and  which  have  also  been 
found,  but  rarely,  in  Kentucky  and  Arkansas.  By  the  form  of  its  leaflets,  its 
ramification  f  c.  f,  this  last  species  is  related  to  Dictyopteris  Brongnarti,  Gutb., 
the  only  species  of  this  genus  known  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Europe.  For 
D.  neuropteroides,  Gutb.,  described  from  a  few  small  leaflets,  is,  according  to 
Prof.  Ellinghausen,  a  true  Neuropteris^  and  Dictyopteris  cordata,  Roem.,  ac- 
cording to  the  remarks  of  the  author  himself,  is  a  variety  of  Neuropteris  cor- 
data,  Brgt.,  as  his  D.  Hoffmanni  seems  to  be  a  variety  of  D.  Brongnarti,  Gutb. 


390  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

GENUS  ODONTOPTERIS,  Brgt. 

111.  Geol.  Report,  Tol.  ii,  p.  432. 

ODONTOPTERIS  SUBCUNEATA,  Bunb. 

PI.  viii,  fig.  10  and  lOb. 

From  the  specimen  figured  here  from  Mazon  creek,  it  is  clear  that  the  fern 
published  under  this  name  in  the  111.  Geol.  Report,  vol.  ii,  p.  433,  pi.  xxxvi, 
fig.  3,  does  not  belong  to  this  species.  It  is  referable  to  Odontopteri$  hetero- 
phylla,  Lesqx.,  loc.  cet.,  p.  433,  pi.  xxxviii,  fig.  2  to  5.  The  pinnules  of  Odon- 
topteris  subcuneata,  Bunb.,  are  opposite,  proportionally  longer  and  narrower, 
slightly  narrowed  in  the  middle,  and  enlarged  to  the  very  obtuse  point.  The 
veins  are  closer  to  each  other  ;  and  as  the  English  author  has  figured  them, 
they  curve  downward  before  coming  into  the  border  of  the  rachis,  and  descend 
in  fascicules  along  the  somewhat  decurrent  base  of  the  leaflets.  In  their  lower 
part  and  just  above  the  decurrent  border,  these  leaflets  are  all  strongly  bowed. 
The  terminal  pinnule  is  broken  above  the  middle  ;  it  is  proportionally  large, 
and  appears  to  be  oval-obtuse,  entire  or  without  any  lateral  lobe.  I  owe  this  spe- 
cimen, the  most  perfect  known  of  this  peculiar  species,  to  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
Michael  Prendel,  of  Morris,  111. 

ODONTOPTERIS  BRADLEYI,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  viii,  fig.  11. 

NOTHING  is  known  of  this  species  but  the  leaflet,  which  has 
been  copied  in  our  figure.  It  is  lanceolate  pointed,  somewhat 
contracted  at  its  base  in  a  broad  pedicel.  The  veins  are 
closely  approached,  sharply  and  deeply  marked,  dichotomous 
in  ascending,  nearly  straight  from  the  base,  where  they  be- 
come parallel.  The  veins  and  veinlets  of  this  species  are  too 
close  to  each  other  and  too  numerous  to  admit  it  as  related  to 
0.  heterophylla,  Lesq.,  which  has  its  leaflets  sometimes  pointed. 
It  may  be  compared  only  to-  Odontopteris  acuminata,  LI.  and 
Hutt,  of  the  Oolite. 

In  concretions  from  Mazon  creek. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  391 

ODONTOPTERIS  SCHLOTHEIMII,  Brgt. 

Veg.  foss.,  p.  256,  pi.  78,  fig.  5. 

Rarely  found  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  but  abundant  in  the  roof 
shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris.  The  frond  of  this  fern  is  very  large,  at  least  tri- 
pinnately  divided;  the  alternate  secondary  pinnje  linear  lanceolate,  two  inches 
long  or  more,  and  more  or  less  deeply  and  regularly  cut  in  alternate  round,  ob- 
long lobes,  or  in  oval-lanceolate  obtusely  pointed  pinnules,  varying  from  one- 
fourth  to  half  an  inch  long.  The  veins  and  veinlets,  with  the  disposition  and 
divisions  as  marked  in  Brongniart's  description,  are  thick,  parallel,  and  gener- 
ally forking  once.  In  the  large  leaflets  there  is  a  medial  depression  looking 
like  a  medial  nerve,  the  veins  generally  branching  from  a  medial  point. 
Though  somewhat  obscure,  the  specimens  or  this  species  at  Morris  are  easily 
identified  by  the  reddish-brown  color  of  the  epidermis. 


GENUS  ALETHOPTERIS,  Sternb. 

This  genus  is  admitted,  for  the  disposition  of  the  fronds  and  for  their  divi- 
sion, as  it  is  characterized  by  Goppert  in  his  Systema,  p.  175,  and  for  the 
position  and  the  form  of  the  fructifications,  as  modified  by  Geinitz.in  his  Ver- 
stein,  p.  27.  It  therefore  contains  not  only  species  whose  fructifications  are 
marginal  and  continuous,  but  species  also  bearing  in  some  division  of  their 
veins,  or  between  them,  round  or  starlike  groups  of  sporanges  like  those  of  the 
genur  Asterocarpus,  Gopp.  As  the  fructification  of  some  of  our  species  is 
unknown,  or  is  not  clearly  seen  through  the  substance  of  the  leaves,  some  are 
admitted  into  this  genus  from  mere  analogy  in  the  divisions  and  in  the  form 
of  their  fronds,  and  in  their  nervation. 


ALETHOPTERIS  MAZONIANA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  ix,  fig.  1  to  8,  and  PI.  xiii,  fig.  5  and  6,  fruiting. 

FROND  evidently  large,  many  times  pinnately?  divided,  dicho- 
tomous  at  the  end  of  the  divisions;  pinnae  long  linear,  taper- 
ing slightly  toward  the  points,  either  pinnately  or  bi-pinnately 
lobed;  lobes  oblong  entire  obtuse,  joined  near  the  base  and  per- 


392  PALAEONTOLOGY  OP  ILLINOIS. 

dendiculartothe  rachis,  or  longer  broader  linear  obtuse  regularly 
undulate,  lobed  on  the  borders,  and  more  or  less  distinct  and 
distant  to  the  base.  Medial  nerve  thin,  but  deeply  marked; 
veins  of  the  simple  pinnules  rather  curved  upwards,  forking 
once  only  at  the  middle ;  in  the  undulated  lobed  leaflets,  one 
of  the  veins  ascends  to  the  sinus,  and  is  twice  forked  upwards. 

The  divisions  of  the  frond  of  this  species  appear  to  have  been  opposite  to 
each  other,  and  distant,  at  least  in  the  upper  part  of  the  frond,  as  it  is  seen 
fig.  7,  representing  a  specimen  which  at  first  seems  to  belong  to  another  spe- 
cies. As  the  nervation,  the  broad  deeply  grooved  rachis,  and  the  form  of  the 
pinnules  are  the  same,  it  is  evident  that  it  merely  represents  the  upper  part  of'a 
frond  or  of  a  pinna,  whose  ramification  is  either  in  the  whole,  as  in  the  Glei- 
chenia  of  our  time,  truly  dichotomous,  or  pinnate  and  dichotomous,  as  in  some 
of  our  species  of  Pteris.  The  fructifications  of  this  species  as  represented  pi. 
xiii,  fig.  5  and  6,  would  rather  refer  it  to  the  genus  Gleichenia  or  even  foly- 
pocfium,  than  to  Pteris.  They  appear  like  round,  oval,  enlarged  sori,  placed 
along  the  borders  on  both  sides  of  the  leaflets,  between  the  branches  of  the 
veins,  as  seen  fig.  6  enlarged.  The  outline  only  «f  the  fructifications  is  ob- 
servable through  the  substance  of  the  leaflets  in  the  form  of  an  oval  ring,  de- 
pressed in  the  middle,  indicating  perhaps  the  point  of  attachment  of  an/indu- 
sium. 

This  fine  species  has  as  yet  been  found  only  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon 
creek,  where  it  is  tolerably  abundant. 


ALETHOPTERIS  CRENULATA,  Brgt. 

(Fruiting)  PI.  xiii,  fig.  14  and  15. 

Though  the  nervation  of  this  fragment  is  scarcely  well  enough  preserved  to 
permit  the  ascertaining  of  its  disposition,  it  is  evident,  from  the  form  of 
the  pinna  and  of  the  leaflets,  that  it  represents  a  fruiting  branch  of  this  spe- 
cies. The  leaflets  united  at  the  base,  regularly  crenulate  around,  with  the  bor- 
ders apparently  reflexed,  are  marked  near  the  margin  by  two  rows  of  scars  of 
round  sori,  each  placed  in  a  curve  of  the  crenulation,  as  seen  fig.  15  enlarged. 
The  medial  nerve,  like  the  veins,  are  obsolete,  and  the  details  of  the  nervation 
could  be  somewhat  distinctly  observed  only  on  one  of  the  leaflets.  In  com- 
paring our  figures  with  that  of  the  sterile  parts,  published  vol.  ii  of  this  Re- 
port, pi.  39,  fig.  3,  the  essential  characters  are  seen  to  be  the  same.  This  spe- 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  393 

cies  is  generally  rare,  and  its  mode  of  fructification  has  not  been  observed  be- 
fore. 

It  occurs  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek. 


ALETHOPTERIS  HYMENOPHYLLOIDES,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  x,  fig.  1  to  4. 

FROND  large,  tripinnately  divided,  with  primary  and  second- 
ary pinnse  alternate,  turned  upwards,  ovate-lanceolate  in  out. 
line,  decurrent  in  a  narrow-winged  rachis ;  secondary  pinnae 
or  pinnules  either  entire,  short  oblong,  obtusely  pointed,  joined 
at  the  middle  in  acute  sinuses;  or  longer,  divided  nearly  to 
the  base,  ovate-lanceolate  and  pinnately  cut  into  regular  ob- 
tuse lobes  with  obtuse  sinuses.  In  the  short  divisions,  the 
medial  nerve  only  is  distinguishable;  in  the  larger  ones,  the 
veins,  though  obscure,  appear  pinnately  branching  from  the 
medial  nerve  in  an  acute  angle  and  forking  at  the  middle.  But 
for  this  kind  of  nervation,  this  species  should  be  considered  as 
a  Hymenophyllites. 

Mazon  creek  ;  in  concretions  of  clay  iron  ore. 

ALETHOPTERIS  INFLATA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  x,  fig.  5  and  6. 

NOTHING  has  been  found  of  this  species  but  the  fragment 
figured  here.  It  shows  part  of  a  linear  pinna,  gradually  taper- 
ing to  the  point,  divided  into  broadly  ovate,  or  ovate  obtusely 
pointed  lobes,  enlarged  and  united  near  the  base,  marked  in 
the  middle  by  a  short  thick  nerve  pinnately  divided  by  five  or 
six  pairs  of  arched  veins  forking  once.  The  fructifications  are 
marked  by  oval  inflated  large  fruit-dots,  placed  at  the  base  of 
the  leaflets,  one  only  on  each  side  of  the  enlarged  medial 
nerve.  The  surface  covering  these  inflated  fruit-dots  is 
wrinkled  above,  and  around  them,  as  seen  in  fig.  6  enlarged. 
—50 


394  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

In  considering  the  form  of  its  fructifications,  this  species  should 
be  separated  as  the  type  of  a  peculiar  genus. 
Mazon  creek  ;  in  concretions  of  clay  iron  ore. 


ALETHOPTERIS  HALLII,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  x,  fig.  7  and  8. 

FROND  bi-pinnate ;  pinna3  perpendicular  to  the  straight 
round  mainrachis,  linear,  alternate,  narrow,  close  to  each  other, 
apparently  short,  merely  cut  on  the  borders  by  obtuse  narrow 
lobes,  either  emarginate  or  square  at  the  top,  separated  by 
short  obtuse  sinuses.  Veins  and  veinlets  deep  and  narrow,  the 
primary  ones  ascending  to  the  middle  of  the  sinuses  and  fork- 
ing twice  upwards  as  seen  in  fig.  8,  enlarged. 

This  species  is  closely  related  to  Alethopteris  serrufa,  Lesqx.,  Penna.  Geo). 
Report,  p.  865,  pi.  xii,  fig.  1,  differing  from  it  by  its  shorter,  broader  pinnae, 
placed  close  to  each  other ;  by  its  more  obtuse  lobes,  and  by  the  primary  divi- 
sions of  the  veins,  ascending  to  the  middle  of  the  sinuses,  and  not  to  the  point 
of  the  lobes.  Though  in  both  species  the  borders  of  the  pinnules  are  appar- 
ently reflexed,  these  differences  are  too  marked  to  be  considered  mere  varieties 
of  the  same  species.  Nevertheless,  it  might  be  possible  that  the  specimens  from 
Illinois  represent  a  sterile  frond,  and  those  of  Pennsylvania  fruiting  branches 
of  the  same  species. 

Mazon  creek ;  in  concretions  found  by  Mr.  M.  S.  Hall. 


ALETHOPTERIS  EROSA,  Gein. 

Verst.,  p.  29,  PI.  32r  tig.  7-9. 

PECOPTERIS  EROSA,  Gutb.  (1843.) 

Numerous  and  large  specimens  referable  to  this  species  have  been  found  by 
Mr.  S.  S.  Strong,  in  the  roof  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris. 

The  American  plant  merely  differs  from  that  of  Europe  by  the  longer  divi- 
sions of  the  three-pointed  lobes,  and  by  the  much  longer  pinnae.  The  same 
fronds,  or  parts  of  fronds,  bear  sterile  and  fruiting  pinnae ;  thoae  especially  in 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  395 

the  upper  part.  They  are  scarcely  lobed,  and  covered  by  groups  of  sporanges, 
apparently  confluent,  and  of  undeterminable  form.  Prof.  Geinitz  figures  and 
describes  them  as  star-like. 


ALETHOPTERIS  CRISTATA,  Gein. 

Verst.,  p.  29,  PL  32,  fig.  6. 

Pecopteris  (Diplagites)  cristatas,  Gutb. 

We  have  only  small  fragments,  which,  by  the  size  of  the  pinnae  and  by  their 
divisions,  are  referable  to  this  species.  As  the  nervation  is  obscure,  it  can- 
not be  positively  seen  whether  they  do  not  perhaps  represent  different  parts  of 
a  frond  of  the  former  species.  The  European  specimens,  at  least  so  far  as  they 
are  figured,  leave  us  in  the  same  doubt  about  the  value  of  the  species. 

From  the  shales  of  the  Morris  coal. 


ALETHOPTERIS  MURICATA,  Gopp.,  Syst. 
Pecopteris  muricata,  Brgt. 

Hist,  veget.  foss.,  p.  352,  PL  9V. 

Good  but  small  specimens  of  this  species  have  been  obtained  in  the  concre- 
tion of  Mazon  creek.  It  appears  to  be  rare  in  the  western  coal  fields. 

ALETHOPTERIS  PLUCKNETI,  Gein. 

Verst.,  p.  30,  PL  xxxiii,  fig.  425. 

Nothing  proves  better  than  this  species  the  insufficiency  of  our  classification 
of  the  fossil  plants  of  the  Coal  Measures.  First,  a  Felicites  for  Schlotheim, 
it  has  been  a  Pecopteris  for  Brongniart,  an  Aspidites  for  Goppert,  and  now  an 
Alethopteris  for  Geinitz.  The  form  of  its  pinnules,  especially  those  of  the  lower 
pinnae,  seems  to  force  its  admission  into  this  genus.  Some  good  specimens 
have  been  obtained  from  the  shale  of  Morris,  especially  part  of  a  tertiary  pin- 
nae, bearing  large  leaflets  with  a  broad  base,  lanceolate  pointed,  scythe-shaped 
in  form,  with  the  borders  divided  by  alternate  obtuse  lobes,  whose  surface  is 


396  PALEONTOLOGY    OF    ILLINOIS. 

generally  convex  and  polished.  This  form  is  the  same  as  that  published  by 
Geinitz,  being  in  all  its  parts  larger  than  the  common  one  generally  found  in 
the  eastern  Coal  Measures. 


ALETHOPTERIS  SPINULOSA,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xi,  fig.  1  and  2. 

FROND  broad,  bi-pinnate ;  primary  pinnae  apparently  long 
linear  slightly  tapering  toward  the  point,  divided  into  alter- 
nate broad,  half  an  inch  long,  oval  leaflets,  joined  above  the 
base,  cut  at  the  obtuse  top  in  sharp  spiniform  short  teeth, 
separated  by  obtuse  sinuses  ;  main  stem  round,  regularly  and 
narrowly  striate  ;  secondary  rachis  straight  and  flat ;  medial 
nerve  thick  and  enlarging  toward  its  slightly  decurrent  base, 
with  five  pairs  of  alternate  veins  slightly  curved  upwards  and 
forking  at  the  middle. 


o 


This  fine  species  has  no  relation,  even  distant,  with  any  other  published  as 
yet  from  the  Coal  Measures.  The  veins  and  veinlets  are  not  deep,  but  very 
distinct  by  their  black  color,  as  seen  in  fig.  2,  enlarged. 

From  the  roof  shales  of  the  main  coal  at  St.  John's,  Perry  Co. 


ALETHOPTERIS  FALCATA,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xi,  fig.  3  and  4. 

THE  specimen  figured  represents  a  part  of  a  simply  pinnate 
frond,  or  of  a  pinna  with  simple  leaflets  attached  to  a  main 
broad  smooth  rachis,  by  their  whole  unconnected  base.  These 
pinnules,  about  two  inches  long,  are  linear-lanceolate  obtusely 
pointed,  scythe-shaped  and  entire.  The  veinlets  perpendicu- 
lar to  the  half  round  medial  nerve,  are  very  close  to  each 
other,  very  thin,  either  simple  or  forked  from  the  base. 

On  account  of  its  broad  curved  rachis,  of  its  long  nearly  linear  leaflets  at- 
tached to  it  by  their  whole  base,  especially  of  its  obsolete  nervation,  the  vein- 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  397 

lets  being  scarcely  perceivable  to  the  naked  eye,  this  species  rather  resembles 
a  Cycas  than  a  fern.  With  a  strong  glass,  the  veinlets  are  seen  as  marked  on 
fig.  4,  enlarged,  and  these  indicate  the  true  relation  of  the  plant. 

The  specimen  may  represent  a  part  of  a  frond  in  the  process  of  unfolding 
its  leaves,  which  appear  as  being  pressed  upon  each  other  on  the  lower  side  of 
the  rachis,  and  at  the  same  time,  still  half  uncinnate.  It  may  also  be  the  re- 
presentative of  a  species  in  its  full  development.  Some  Lomarix  of  our  time 
resemble  it,  by  the  nervation  and  the  form  of  the  leaflets.  It  has  no  relation 
with  species  known  from  the  Coal  Measures. 

Mazon  creek  ;  -in  concretions  of  clay  iron  ore. 


ALETHOPTERIS  SOLIDA,  Sp,  nov. 

PL  xi,  fig.  5-7. 

THIS  species  is,  like  the  former,  known  only  by  a  frag- 
ment of  a  frond  or  of  a  pinna.  It  is  pinnately  divided  into 
narrow  leaflets,  attached  to  a  proportionally  very  broad  flat 
rachis,  by  the  enlarged  base  of  a  thick  medial  nerve.  These 
pinnules,  a  little  longer  than  one  inch,  perpendicular  to  the 
main  rachis  or  slightly  turned  upwards,  are  linear  obtusely 
pointed,  disconnected  at  the  enlarged  rounded  base,  and  en- 
tire. They  bear  along  the  borders,  at  equal  distances  from 
each  other,  round  groups  of  sporanges,  apparently  divided 
star-like  into  five  round  dots,  as  marked  in  fig.  7. 

By  the  position  of  its  sort  and  of  its  leaves,  our  species  is  a  Polypodium.  It 
resembles  by  these  characters  the  species  published  by  Prof.  Brongniart,  under 
the  name  of  Phlelopteris  polypodioides,  Veg.  foss.,  p.  372,  pi.  83,  fig.  1,  and  if 
the  nervation  should  prove  to  be  the  same,  the  American  species  would  be  dis- 
tinguishable only  by  the  broad  rachis,  the  enlarged  base  of  the  medial  nerve, 
and  the  separation  of  the  leaflets.  No  trace  of  secondary  veins  or  veinlets  is 
observable  on  the  specimen,  which  is  in  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek.  Our 
species  is  also  related  to  Polypodites  clegans  and  Polypodites  Lindleyi  of  Gop- 
pert. 


398  PALEONTOLOGY   OP  ILLINOIS. 

ALETHOPTERIS  LANCEOLATA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xiii,  fig.  1  to  3. 

THE  specimens  represent  two  parts  of  simple  pinnae  or  of 
fronds,  with  alternate  linear  lanceolate  obtusely  pointed  leaf- 
lets, oblique  on  the  rachis,  or  slightly  scythe-shaped,  narrowed 
at  the  base  to  half  their  width,  and  rounded  to  the  point  of 
attachment  to  the  rachis ;  entire  on  the  borders  and  smooth 
on  the  surface.  Main  or  medial  nerve  half  round,  moderately 
thick ;  secondary  veins  attached  to  it  in  a  very  acute  angle, 
alternately  branching  from  the  base  in  veinlets  curved  in- 
wardly, as  marked  fig.  2,  the  upper  ones  ascending  to  the  bor- 
ders of  the  leaflets,  the  lower  ones  becoming  confluent  in  as- 
cending. 

Of  the  two  specimens  which  have  been  seen  of  this  species,  and  which  are 
figured  here,  that  of  fig.  1  seems  to  represent  the  upper  part  of  a  frond,  while 
the  other,  fig.  3,  looks  like  the  terminal  part  of  a  pinna,  and  therefore  the  spe- 
cies is  apparently  bi  or  tripinnate.  The  nervation  resembles  that  of  the  fol- 
lowing species,  but  the  veins  and  their  divisions  are  more  oblique,  more  slen- 
der and  of  a  more  delicate  texture. 

Mazon  creek;  in  concretions. 

ALETHOPTERIS  EMARGINATA,  Gopp. 

Syst.  foss.,  p.  274,  PL  xvi,  fig.  1  and  2. 
PI.  xiii,  fig.  4. 

We  have  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek  many  separate  leaflets  of  the 
same  form  and  of  the  same  size  as  the  one  figured.  The  borders  of  these  linear 
obtuse  leaflets  are  slightly  and  equally  undulate-lobed,  as  formed  of  pinnules 
connate  to  the  top ;  the  nervation  is  nearly  similar  to  that  of  the  former  spe- 
cies, the  secondary  veins  being  only  more  open  to  the  medial  nerve,  or  nearly 
perpendicular  to  it,  while  their  branches,  generally  more  marked  and  thicker, 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  399 

ascend  to  the  border  of  the  leaflets.  This  kind  of  nervation  is  that  of  Goppert's 
species.  But  in  our  American  specimens,  the  leaflets  are  broader,  shorter,  and 
by  the  increasing  depth  of  the  divisions  of  the  borders,  they  become  by  degrees 
cut  into  lobes  nearly  to  the  base,  and  then  are  undistinguishable  from  Pecop- 
teris  unita,  Brgt.,  except,  perhaps,  by  the  medial  nerve  or  secondary  rachis, 
half  round  and  not  quite  as  thick,  and  by  a  thinner  texture  of  the  leaves.  The 
fructification  is  marginal,  in  round  distinct  sort  which  sometimes  become  irre- 
gularly scattered  by  compression. 


GENUS  PECOPTERIS,  Brgt. 
PECOPTERIS  STRONGII,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xiii,  fig.  7-9. 

FROND  simply  pinnate  or  poly-pinnate,  pinnge  linear  taper- 
ing above  to  a  point,  slightly  narrowing  toward  the  base. 
Pinnules  alternate,  perpendicular  to  the  striated  narrow  ra- 
chis, nearly  one  inch  long  and  proportionately  narrow,  linear 
obtuse,  often  slightly  enlarged  at  the  obtuse  point,  attached  to 
the  rachis  by  their  whole,  sometimes  enlarged  base,  discon- 
nected and  often  distant,  the  distance,  between  them  being 
sometimes  as  wide  as  the  breadth  of  the  leaflets,  becoming 
closer  to  each  other  towards  the  point  of  the  pinnae,  where 
they  are  shorter  and  connate  at  base.  Fructification,  marked 
by  scars  of  broad  round  sori,  with  a  concave  point  in  the  cen- 
tre, placed  near  the  borders  of  the  leaflets,  close  to  each  other, 
ten  to  twelve  on  each  side  of  the  pinnules.  Their  place  in  re- 
lation to  the  veins  and  veinlets  is  unknown,  the  substance  of 
the  leaflets  being  thick,  coreaceous,  and  the  nervation  obsolete. 

As  it  is  seen  in  fig.  7  and  8,  enlarged,  the  borders  of  the  leaflets  are  slightly 
undulate,  an  irregularity  apparently  caused  by  the  compression  of  the  sori  ex- 
panding the  margin,  or  passing  out  of  it,  for  in  fig.  9  all  the  pinnules  are  en- 
tire on  the  borders.  This  last  specimen  seems  to  represent  a  small  frond  ra- 
ther than  a  pinna,  for  the  leaflets  turn  downwards  towards  its  base,  as  is  the 
case  in  some  simple  fronds  of  species  of  Poly  podium  of  our  time.  By  its  form 


400  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

and  the  position  of  the 'son,  our  species  could  also  be  compared  to  Aspidium 
Wrightii,  Mitt,  of  Cuba.  Its  place  is,  therefore  with  the  Poli/poditcs  or  Asjri- 
elites  of  Groppert. 

The  specimen  fig.  7,  is  in  a  concretion  form  Mazon  creek  ;  the  others  on  shale 
from  Morris. 

Found  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong. 


PECOPTERIS  SQAMOSA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xii,  fig.  1  to  4;  PL  xiii,  fig.  10  and  11,  fructif. 

FROND  evidently  bi  or  tripinnately  divided,  triangular  or 
lanceolate  in  outline,  with  a  thick  rachis,  half  an  inch  or  more 
at  its  base,  covered  to  the  top  of  its  last  divisions  with  long, 
linear  lanceolate  pointed  scales,  either  straight  and  appressed 
to  the  stem,  or  open  and  diverging  all  around,  even  sometimes 
appearing  as  dried  up  and  crumpled  as  in  fig.  2.  The  rachis 
of  the  last  divisions  is  proportionally  broad  as  seen  in  fig.  1 
and  fig.  4,  enlarged,  and  is  also  either  scaly  or  marked,  with 
crowded  points  indicating  the  base  of  the  scales.  Secondary 
pinnae  long,  linear,  slightly  tapering  to  an  obtuse  point,  flex- 
uous  or  curved  upwards,  bearing  alternate,  unequal,  narrow 
linear,  obtuse,  oblong  leaflets,  nearly  perpendicular  to  the  ra- 
chis, reflexed  on  the  borders,  very  close  to  each  other,  or  often 
contiguous  for  their  whole  length,  marked  with  a  deep  medial 
nerve,  but  no  trace  of  veins.  These  leaflets,  generally  more 
or  less  irregular  in  their  length,  have  their  fructification  indi- 
cated by  small  round  dots,  placed  in  two  rows,  close  to  the 
borders;  the  dots  are  numerous  and  distinct;  their  relation 
to  the  veins  and  veinlets  is  unknown. 

The  species  is  quite  distinct  and  only  distantly  related  to  Pccopteris  platy- 
rachis  Brgt.  The  specimen  represented,  pi.  xii,  fig.  4,  shows  a  part  of  a  frond 
of  this  species,  in  its  process  of  development.  The  divisions  appear  still  un- 
opened and  the  outline  only  of  the  secondary  pinnae  with  mere  traits  of  medial 
nerves,  are  indicated  by  flakes  of  scaly  matter. 

This  specimen  is  upon  shale  from  the  roof  of  the  coal  at  Colchester ;  tho 
other  specimens  figured  are  in  concretions  from  Mazon  creek. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  401 

PECOPTERIS  SILLIMANI,  Brgt.,  Yeg.  foss.,  p.  353. 

PI.  9C,  fig.  5 

This  is  one  of  the  rarest  species  of  our  Coal  Measures.  The  few  specimens 
which  I  consider  referable  to  it,  are  small  and  incomplete  ;  one  of  them  is  from 
Mazon  creek,  in  concretions  of  clay  iron  ore. 

PECOPTERIS  BUCKLANDI,  Brgt.,  Veg.  foss.,  p.  319. 

PL  99,  fig.  2. 

The  specimen  representing  this  species,  distinctly  shows  the  character  indi- 
cated by  the  author.  The  pinnae  are  straight,  nearly  horizontal  (four  inches 
long  with  the  end  broken  off),  the  leaflets  oblong,  somewhat  lanceolate  obtuse, 
but  not  quite  as  obtuse  as  in  Brongniart's  figure,  slightly  scythe-shaped  out- 
wards, etc.  The  pinnules  are  of  a  thick  coriaceous  substance,  concave,  and 
deeply  impressed  upon  the  stone. 

Found  in  a  concretion  on  Little  Vermilion  river,  by  Dr.  J.  C.  Winslow. 

PECOPTERIS  CANDOLLIANA,  Brgt.,  Veg.  foss.,  p.  305. 

PI.  100,  fig.  1. 

One  good  distinct  specimen,  in  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek,  while  nume- 
rous specimens  from  the  same  locality  have  branches,  with  characters  interme- 
diate between  this  species  and  fccopteris  cy'athca  of  the  same  author. 

PECOPTERIS  HEMITELOIDES,  Brgt.,  Veg.  foss.,  p.  314. 

PI.  108,  fig.  1. 

The  specimen  from  Mazon  creek,  is  half  a  concretion,  representing  part  of  a 
pinna,  bearing  oblong,  slightly  pointed  leaflets,  disconnected  at  the  base,  with 
borders  inflated,  and  a  double  row  of  large  son,  unlike  any  other  hitherto  seen 
of  this  genus.  These  sori  open  by  a  transverse  solit,  agreeing  with  Brongniart's 
fig.  2  A  in  every  peculiarity  of  form.  Our  specimen  does  not  show  any  trace 
of  nervation. 

—51 


402  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

PECOPTERIS  VILLOSA,  Brgt.,  Veg.  foss.,  p.  316. 

PL  104,  fig.  3. 

This  species  is  the  most  abundant  of  all  in  the  concretions  of  Ma/on  creek, 
which  show  it  in  its  multifarious  forms.  The  nervation  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  seen  by  European  palaeontologists.  Brougniart  does  not  give  any 
details  of  it,  and  Geinitz  indicates  it  as  simple,  or  with  veinlets  forking  once 
only,  which  is  totally  at  variance  with  its  true  nature.  The  concretions  con- 
tain numerous  parts  of  the  plant  preserved  in  a  state  of  partial  maceration, 
either  with  pinme  whose  substance  is  destroyed,  and  which  have  nothing  left 
but  the  outlines  of  their  leaflets,  and  the  entirely  free  veins  and  veinlets  ;  or 
pinna?  half  preserved,  one  part  of  which  bears  leaflets  with  the  villous  epider- 
mis, while  the  other  part  has  the  veins  and  veinlets  free  of  epidermis,  and 
quite  distinct.  From  the  form  of  its  pinnule,  the  multiple  divisions  of  its 
pinnae,  and  of  its  veins,  this  Pecopteris  is  exactly  similar  to  P.  polymorpha, 
Brgt.,  the  veinlets  dividing  once  or  twice  or  more,  according  to  the  place  and 
size  of  the  pinnules. 

i 

PECOPTERIS  ARGUTA,  Brgt.  (fruiting.) 

»» 

PL  xiii,  fig.  12  and  13. 

The  part  of  a  pinna,  as  represented  in  the  figure,  bears  leaflets,  connate  at 
the  base,  oblong,  lanceolate  obtuse,  somewhat  shorter,  more  pointed,  and  more 
distinct  than  is  generally  the  case  in  sterile  pinnae  of  this  species.  But  as  the 
nervation,  as  well  as  the  crenulate-toothed  borders  of  the  leaflets,  are  similar  to 
those  of  Pecopteris  arf/uta,  and  as  these  peculiar  characters  are  not  known  in 
any  other  species  of  the  coal. I  consider  this  specimen  as  representing  its  fruit- 
ing part,  which  was  before  unknown.  The  sort  appear  like  inflated  dots  placed 
just  at  the  point  of  the  simple  veins  or  rather  like  conical  sori,  with  the  point 
to  the  inside  of  the  leaflets  and  the  enlarged  opening  outside  at  the  point  of 
the  teeth,  as  marked,  fig.  13,  enlarged.  Their  form  is  distinct ;  with  a  strong 
glass  they  even  appear  filled  with  a  pulverulent  matter.  According  to  the  form 
and  the  position  of  these  fruit-dots,  the  species  resembles  an  Aspidium,  and 
should  be  placed  in  the  genus  Aspidites,  Gopp.  Sterile  pinnae  of  this  species 
are  not  rare  in  the  shales  at  Morris. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  403 

PECOPTERIS  ELEGANS,  Germ. 
Polypodites  elegans,  Gopp.,  Syst.,  p.  344. 

PL  xv,  fig.  10. 

We  have  in  abundance,  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  specimens  which 
agree  in  every  point  with  the  figures  and  description  of  this  species.  Pin- 
nae, bearing  linear  leaflets,  entire  on  the  borders,  round  at  the  top,  marked 
by  medial  nerves  from  which  branch  in  an  acute  angle  simple  veins,  ascending 
straight  to  the  borders,  or  sometimes  slightly  curving  upwards.  But  the 
characters  here  indicated  are  so  variable  and  passing  by  such  inappreciable 
transitions  to  those  of  the  true  Pecopteris  unita,  Brgt.,  that  after  the  examina- 
tion of  many  hundred  specimens,  it  is  impossible  to  point  out  a  single  trait 
which  could  be  described  as  distinctive  of  one  of  these  species.  I  therefore 
consider  this  Pecopteris  elegans,  Germ.,  as  a  variety  of  Pecopteris  imita,  Brgt. 

PECOPTERIS  ASPIDIOIDES,  Brgt.,  Veg.  foss.,  p.  311. 

PI.  112,  fig  2. 
Found  at  Mazon  creek ;  rare ;  seen  only  in  two  specimens. 

PECOPTERIS  ABBREVIATA,  Brgt.,  Veg.  foss.,  p.  337. 

PL  115,  fig.  1  to  4. 

Numerous  and  very  fine  specimens  in  concretions  from  Mazon  creek  are 
referable  to  this  species,  rather  by  the  figures  given  of  it  by  Geinitz  in  his 
Versteinerimgen,  than  to  those  of  Brongniart.  The  secondary  pinnae  are  short, 
all  equal,  the  veins  and  veinlets  much  inflated,  the  pinnules  more  generally 
disconnected  f.  c.  f.  It  is  altogether  a  different  species  from  Pecopteris  Miltoni 
Brgt.,  to  which  the  German  author  unites  it  as  a  variety,  at  least,  if  we  con- 
sider our  American  specimens  identical,  which,  however,  may  represent  a  new 
species. 


404  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

PECOPTERIS  DENTATA,  Brgt. 

Veg.  foss.,  p.  836,  pi.  124. 

A  fine  species  found  in  large  specimens  in  the  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris, 
and  also  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek. 

PECOPTERIS  FLAVICANS?  Presl. 
Sphenopteris  flavicans  ?  Presl. 

Sternb.,  Vers.,  vol.  n,  p.  127.     PL  xxxviii,  fig.  1,  a,  b,  c. 

From  Mazon  creek  also,  and  in  concretions,  we  hare  obtained  a  number  of 
specimens  of  a  species  which  appears  closely  related  to  this  species,  if  it  is  not 
identical  with  it.  They  represent  parts  of  fronds  or  pinnae,  bipinnately  divi- 
ded ;  primary  divisions  alternate,  open,  straight  or  slightly  flexuous,  linear, 
bearing  alternate,  oblong,  short,  obtuse  pinnules,  connate  at  their  base,  slightly 
decurrent,  with  a  decurrent  medial  nerve ;  alternately  branching  in  simple 
veins,  two  or  three  on  each  side,  turning  inwards  in  ascending  or  straight  to 
the  border.  The  fruit  dots  are  marked  in  a  double  row  near  the  borders  of 
the  leaflets,  apparently  placed  upon  the  veins.  The  main  rachis  and  its  divi- 
sions are  deep  and  grooved.  But  for  the  position  of  the  sori  and  of  the  thick 
epidermis  of  its  leaflets,  this  species  could  be  referred  to  Oligocarpia  Gutbieri, 
Gopp.,  the  disposition  of  the  deeply  marked  veins  and  the  form  of  the  pinnules 
being  alike.  As  this  Pecopteris  flavicans  is  not  mentioned  by  any  recent  au- 
thor, not  even  by  Unger,  and  as  it  is  known  only  by  the  short  description  and 
the  incomplete  figures  given  of  it  by  Sternberg,  our  species  is  referred  to  it 
with  doubt. 

PECOPTERIS  CIKEROPHYLLOIDES,  Brgt. 

* 

It  is  remarked,  vol.  2,  p.  443  of  ^his  Keport,  that  this  species  was  still  un- 
certain, having  been  found  only  in  incomplete  specimens.  It  has  been  ob- 
tained since  from  the  roof  shales  at  Colchester  in  large  and  good  specimens. 
Except  Pecopteris  Cistii,  Brgt.,  P.  velutina,  Lesqx.,  P.  Newberryi,  Lesqx.,  all 
the  species  of  Pecopteris  enumerated  in  the  2d  vol.,  have  been  since  found  in 
Illinois. 


FOSSIL  PLANTS.  405 

GENUS  STAPHYLOPTERIS. 

Presl.  in  Sternb.  Vers.,  ii,  p.  174. 

'Count  Sfcernberg,  in  his  Versuch,  loc.  cit.,  defines  this  genus  merely  as:  in- 
florescence or  fructified  panicles  of  ferns,  analogous  to  those  of  Botrychium  or 
Aneirnia. 

The  only  species  described  by  the  author  as  the  type  of  his  genus  :  Staphy- 
lopteris  polybotrya,  from  the  Tertiary  of  Europe,  represents  a  small  group  of 
round  sporanges.  In  our  American  species  here  described,  these  sori  have 
various  forms.  But  it  is  convenient  to  consider  them  under  the  same  generic 
name,  till  their  relation  to  sterile  fronds,  or  their  true  generic  affinity  can  be 
ascertained.  To  this  genus,  therefore,  I  refer  all  agglomerations  of  sporanges 
of  various  forms,  either  borne  upon  separate  plants,  or  upon  separate  segments 
of  a  plant,  like  those  of  our  species  of  Botrychium,  without  visible  remains  of 
leaves,  or  whose  connection  to  frond-bearing  leaves  can  not  be  traced,  and  is 
unknown. 

No  species  referable  to  this  genus  has  been  found  as  yet  in  the  Carboniferous 
strata  of  Europe,  a  fact  which  led  Palaeontologists  to  suppose  that  ferns  bear- 
ing fruits  in  separate  panicles  did  not  exist  at. the  time  of  that  formation. 
From  our  Coal  Measures,  we  have  previously  obtained  only  Staphylopteris  stel- 
lata,  Lesqx.,  Arks.  Geol.  Rept.,  vol.  ii,  p.  309,  pi.  2,  fig.  2  and  3,  from  the 
Sub-Conglomerate  coal  of  Arkansas.  The  discovery  and  publication  of  the 
following  species  is,  therefore,  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  fossil  flora  of  the 
coal. 

STAPHYLOPTERIS  WORTHENI,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xiv,  fig.  1  and  2. 

FROND  bi-pinnate,  ovate  lanceolate  in  outline  ;  pinnse  linear, 
gradually  tapering  to  an  obtuse  point,  short,  one  inch  long 
near  the  base  of  the  frond,  scarcely  half  an  inch  near  the  top 
perpendicular  to  the  main  rachis;  pinnules  alternate  triangu- 
lar, formed  of  an  agglomeration  of  three  or  five  sori  apparently 
attached  to  a  main  pedicel,  but  without  trace  of  leaves.  The 
main  rachis  of  this  fruiting  segment  of  a  fern  is  proportionally 
thick,  three  lines  at  its  base,  finely  irregularly  striate,  the 
branches  or  pinnse  appearing  attached  rather  upon  it  or 


406  PALAEONTOLOGY    OF   ILLINOIS. 

around  it  than  along  its  borders ;  the  rachis  of  the  branches 
is  also  thick,  smooth,  and  on  both  sides  of  it  are  attached  the 
groups  of  sori,  three  to  five  in  number,  in  a  kind  of  pyramidal 
position,  with  a  thick  short  pedicel  in  the  middle.  The  sori, 
when  unopened,  are  round,  marked  on  the  flattened  surface  by 
four  or  five  lines  diverging  from  the  center  to  the  circumfer- 
ence. Fig.  2a.  When  opened  the  sporanges  appear  placed 
like  the  rays  of  a  star  around  a  central  point.  These  spo- 
ranges, oval,  elongated  or  gradually  enlarged  outwards  from 
the  narrow  point  of  attachment,  deeply  concave,  finely  striate 
within,  are  all  turned  to  the  same  side,  viz :  the  point  down- 
wards and  the  branches  tending  obliquely  upwards  ;  in  that 
way  the  upper  sori  of  the  pinnae  have  the  point  towards  the 
rachis,  while  in  the  lowe^  ones  it  is  turned  from  it :  see  fig.  2, 
enlarged  twice,  and  fig.  25,  enlarged  four  times.  The  spo- 
ranges are  deeply  marked  or  excavated  in  the  stone,  which  is 
still  more  deeply  penetrated  by  the  point,  and  this  point  appears, 
as  said  above,  to  have  been  attached  to  a  common  pedicel  by 
filaments  now  destroyed. 

Found  in  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek;  discovered  by  Mr.  M.  S.  Hall. 

STAPHYLOPTERIS  ASTEROIDES,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xiv,  fig.  6  to  10. 

FROND  tripinnate,  with  straight  alternate  branches ;  primary 
pinnae  lanceolate  pointed  or  tapering  to  a  point  from  an  en- 
larged base;  secondary  divisions  alternate  linear,  merely  formed 
of  narrow,  filiform,  obliquely  straight  branches  or  common 
pedicels,  bearing  groups  of  sporanges  pinnately  attached  to 
them  in  pairs  and  opposite ;  sori  round  at  first  and  before 
maturity,  opening  at  maturity  in  five  lanceolate-pointed  lacin- 
iae  around  a  central  round  point,  and  forming  a  star  (fig.  7  and 
7  b  enlarged) . 

This  fruiting  species  is  still  more  remarkable  than  the  former.  Groups  of 
sori  resembling  round  dots,  fig.  8,  are  seen  on  the  same  piece  of  shale,  but  on 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  407 

the  reverse.  They  apparently  belong  to  the  same  species,  and  seem  to  have 
been  detached  before  maturity  from  their  pedicels,  whose  remains  are  still 
marked  by  dark  lines,  fig.  8,  fig.  9,  enlarged  twice,  and  fig.  10,  enlarged  about 
ten  times.  In  this  last  figure  dark  but  absolute  lines  are  seen,  apparently  show- 
ing the  suture  of  walls.  In  the  pinnately  divided  part  of  the  frond,  fig.  6,  ah 
the  sori  are  opened,  and  their  envelope  is  still  attached  to  short  pedicels,  appa- 
rently placed  opposite  to  each  other.  The  details  of  the  form  of  the  sporanges 
are  easily  recognized,  but  those  of  their  ramifications,  or  the  point  and  mode  of 
attachment  of  the  sori  are  rendered  indistinct  by  the  superposition  of  the  groups 
of  sporanges.  The  specimen  is  on  shale  from  Morris,  and  was  contributed  by 
Mr.  Jos.  Even. 

STAPHYLOPTERIS  SAGITTATUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xiv,  fig.  3  to  5. 

THIS  species  has  a  bi-pinnate  frond,  as  seen  on  a  specimen 
from  the  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris,  too  large  to  be  figured. 
The  divisions  are  alternate ;  the  thick  secondary  rachis  is  de- 
current  on  the  main  stem,  which  is  also  broad  and  smooth. 
The  double  celled  sporanges  are  linear,  attached  by  their  backs, 
and  pressed  against  each  other  in  horizontal  rows.  The  en- 
larged pedicel  of  the  sporange  cells  is,  before  maturity,  appa- 
rently at  least,  folded  in  the  middle,  and  both  rows  of  spo- 
ranges are  joined  together  by  their  back.,  forming  in  that  state 
slightly  scythe-shaped  cylinders,  obtuse  at  both  ends,  attached 
to  the  pedicel  by  a  dorsal  membrane,  and  marked  all  around 
by  the  ring-like  outlines  of  sporanges  (fig.  3a).  More  gener- 
ally the  sporange-cells  are  open  side  by  side  on  each  side  of  the 
dorsal  support,  and  the  sporanges  appear  then  in  two  convex 
rows,  fig.  4  and  5.  In  some  specimens  on  concretions  from 
Mazon  creek,  where  small  branches  of  this  remarkable  species 
are  finely  preserved,  the  sori  or  sporange  bearing  cells  are  deep- 
ly immersed  in  the  stone,  generally  leaving  around  them  an 
empty  space,  as  seen  in  fig,  3ft  and  3c;  they  are  thus  isolated 
and  their  form  is  easily  ascertained.  No  traces  of  leaflets 
have  been  seen  in  connection  with  this  species,  which  has  as 
yet  been  obtained  only  from  Morris  and  from  Mazon  creek. 


408  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


GENUS  SPHENOPTERIS,  Brgt,  111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  435. 
SPHENOPTERIS  SCABERRIMA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xv,  fig.  1  and  2. 

FROND  tripinnate,  primary  pinnae  lanceolate,  curved  down- 
wards, flexuous;  secondary  divisions  perpendicular  to  the  verru- 
cose,  broad,  round  rachis,  linear  lanceolate  pointed,  one  to  two 
inches  long,  distinct  and  somewhat  distant  alternate;  pinnules 
lanceolate  acute,  gradually  diminishing  to  the  point,  distinct 
to  the  base,  horizontal,  irregularly  cut  on  the  borders  or  entire 
with  borders  irregularly  expanding  and  undulating  by  crushed 
groups  of  sporanges  or  of  scales ;  surface  rugose,  marked  by 
round  small  convex  points  resembling  small  dots,  produced  by 
groups  of  sporanges  placed  on  the  lower  surface.  All  the 
plant,  even  the  thick,  primary  rachis,  is  covered  with  verrucose 
points,  evidently  indicating  the  base  of  scales,  or  hairs,  with 
which  the  plant  was  covered,  and  which  are  still  indistinctly 
seen  on  some  part  of  the  secondary  branches.  The  frond  of 
this  species  was  evidently  a  large  one,  the  pinnae  being  more 
than  six  inches  long. 

The  whole  appearance  of  the  plant  is  like  that  of  some  species  of  Cheilan- 
thcs  of  our  time,  especially  of  Cheilanthes  vestita,  Schwarz.  The  species  should 
therefore  be  classed  in  the  genus  Cheilantites,  Gopp.  Nevertheless,  the  group 
of  sori  appears  to  cover  the  whole  under  surface  of  the  leaflets,  a  position 
which  is  not  similar  to  that  of  the  sori  of  a  Cheilanthes.  On  shales  from 
Morris. 

SPHENOPTERIS  GRACILIS,  Brgt. 

PL  xv,  fig.  3  to  6. 

FROND  bi  or  tripinnate ;  primary  pinnae  or  fronds  triangular 
in  outline,  taper-pointed,  slender;  secondary  pinnae  linear 
lanceolate,  alternate  and  distant,  open,  curved  upwards,  flexu- 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  409 

ous,  bearing  alternate  divisions,  cordate,  lanceolate  in  outline, 
deeply  exit  on  each  side  in  three  to  five  irregular  obtuse  or 
pointed  lobes,  as  seen  in  fig.  4,  5,  6,  enlarged;  medial  vein 
somewhat  inflated  like  its  pinnate  divisions,  which  branch 
once  or  twice  to  the  borders,  according  to  the  size  of  the  lobes. 

The  surface  of  the  leaflets  is  quite  smooth.  By  its  slender,  half  round  secon- 
dary and  tertiary  rachis,  and  the  general  form  of  the  pinnae  and  of  the  divi- 
sions, our  species  agrees  well  enough  with  that  published  by  Brongniart,  Veg- 
Foss.,  p.  197,  pi.  154,  fig.  2.  But  the  author  describes  and  figures  the  lobes  of 
the  pinnules  as  being  more  regular,  longer,  regularly  tridentate  at  the  point 
while  those  of  our  specimens  are  always  either  more  or  less  irregularly  cut,  or 
entire,  and  also  either  pointed  or  obtuse.  The  difference  in  the  form  and  size 
of  the  lobes  of  the  pinnules  of  the  same  pinnae,  indicate  for  this  species,  as 
seen  from  our  fig.  4,  5  and  6,  a  great  disposition  to  vary,  and  the  more  essential 
characters  being  identical,  I  can  but  consider  the  American  specimens  as  repre- 
senting the  same  species  as  that  of  Prof.  Brongniart. 

It  is  found  in  fine  large  specimens  on  the  shales  over  the  coal  at  Morris. 


SPHENOPTERIS  MIXTA,  Schp.  Pal.  Veg.,  p.  382. 
Sphenopteris  sinuosa  Lesqx,  ined. 

PI.  xv,  fig.  7  and  8. 

This  species  is  the  same  which,  from  incomplete  specimens,  was  in  the  second 
volume  of  this  Report,  page  435,  considered  as  doubtfully  referable  to  Sphenop- 
teris  rigida,  Brgt.  It  has  a  tripinnate  or  polypinnate  frond,  the  specimens  being 
covered  with  numerous  secondary  pinnae,  of  which  one  only  is  figured  here.  Pin- 
nae branching  at  a  right  angle  from  a  broad  winged  smooth  rachis,  bearing  alter- 
nate lanceolate  secondary  divisions,  with  a  half  round  comparatively  broad  and 
regularly  sinuous  rachis.  The  pinnules  obliquely  attached  upon  each  of  its  con~- 
vex  flexures  are  oval,  lanceolate  pointed,  regularly  divided  on  each  side  into  three 
to  five  half  round  lobes.  The  medial  vein  which,  like  its  divisions,  is  thin  and 
somewhat  obscure,  alternately  branches  into  each  lobe  of  the  pinnules,  the 
branches  forking  above  the  middle.  The  epidermis  is  thick,  the  surface  con- 
vex and  somewhat  rough.  This  species  appears  essentially  distinct  from  Sphe- 
nofopteris  rigida,  Brgt.,  by  its  broad  winged  rachis,  the  form  of  the  pinnules 
and  of  their  divisions,  the  slightly  rough  surface,  etc.;  nevertheless  there  may 
—52 


410  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

be  some  error  of  description  or  of  illustration  of  the  European  species,  which 
is  marked  as  having  its  surface  entirely  smooth,  while  the  figure  shows  it  cov- 
ered with  points  or  rugose. 

Abundant  in  the  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris. 


SPHENOPTERIS  TRIFOLIATA,  Brgt.     Veg.  Foss.,  p.  202. 

PI.  63,  fig.  3. 
In  the  shales  of  Colchester ;   found  by  Prof.  A.  H.  Worthen. 

SPHENOPTERIS  ELEGANS,  Brgt.     Veg.  Foss.,  p.  172. 

PL  53,  fig.  1  and  2. 

Two  fine  specimens  of  this  species  have  been  obtained  from  the  concretions 
of  Mazon  creek;  by  Mr.  M.  S.  Hall. 

GENUS  HYMENOPHYLLITES,  Gopp  and  auct.     111.  Geol. 
Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  436. 

In  preserving  this  genus,  with  its  characters  too  vaguely  defined  as  it  is  in 
vol.  2  of  this  Report,  p.  436,  it  would  be  advisable  to  subdivide  it  as  follows  : 

§  1.  BymenaphylKtes  proper,  containing  species  with  a  generally  inenibra- 
naceous  delicate  frond,  pinnately  divided,  the  primary  divisions  alternate  or 
dichotomous,  decurrent  on  the  rachis  and  ultimate  lobes  linear  obtuse,  either 
simple  alternate  or  irregularly  divided  ;  nerves  percurrent  pinnately  branching, 
ascending,  simple  in  each  lobe.  This  section  contains  Hymenophyllites  and 
Trichomanites,  Gopp. 

§  2.  Aphlebia,  including  species  with  fronds  of  various  sizes  and  forms,  gen- 
erally with  a  broad  rachis  and  more  or  less  irregularly  divided,  the  divisions 
rather  dichotomous  or  pinnatifid,  entire  or  variously  laciniate  lobed,  the  lobes 
sometimes  enlarged  and  recurved  ;  veins  parallel  and  numerous  from  the  base 
of  the  fronds,  dividing  in  fascicles  from  the  rachis  in  each  primary  division, 
and  passing  by  subdividing,  as  simple  veinlets  to  the  point  of  each  lobe.  To 
this  section  are  referable  the  genera  Aphlebia,  Schizopteris,  Rhodea,  Pacliy- 
phyllum,  etc.  auct.* 

*W.  P.  Shimpcr,  in  Pal.  Veg.,  makes  for  this  section  a  new  genus,  Rhacophyllum. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  411 

§  3.  Schizopteris  proper,  to  which  belong  the  species  with  a  frond  generally 
laciniate,  or  cut  in  linear  erect  or  curved  divisions,  sometimes  enlarged  at  the 
top,  marked  with  thin  parallel  veins  ascending  from  the  base  of  the  frond  to 
the  top  of  the  lobes  without  branching,  being  split  in  fascicles  with  the  divi- 
sions. To  this  section  belong  merely  the  genus  Schizopteris,  as  characterized 
by  Prof.  Brongniart  for  his  Schizopteris  anomala. 

It  is  difficult  to  separate  these  sections  in  genera  by  reliable  and  permanent 
characters.  Some  o£the  species  which  are  considered  as  Schizopteris  by  authors, 
as  Schizopteris  adnascens,  LI.  and  Hutt,  for  example,  have  the  nervation  and  a 
mode  of  division  of  their  fronds  similar  to  those  of  some  Hymenophyllites,  while 
species  referable  to  this  last  genus  have,  with  a  regular  mode  of  division  a  nerva- 
tion by  disconnected  fascicles  of  veins,  like  species  of  Aphlebia  and  Schizopteris. 
This  is  the  case  with  our  Hymenophyllites  splendens.  The  plants  of  the  two 
last  divisions  are  little  known,  their  apparently  soft  tissue  having  often  been 
destroyed  by  maceration.  I  have  described  and  figured  here  some  remarkable 
forms,  especially  from  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  whose  study  may  throw 
some  light  upon  the  nature  and  conformation  of  these  singular  vegetables. 


§  1.  HYMENOPHYLLITES  (proper). 
HYMENOPHYLLITES  ALATUS,  Brgt. 

Veg.  foss.,   p.  180,  PL  48,  fig,  4, 

This  species  is  mentioned  in  the  111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  437,  as  present- 
ing some  characters  at  variance  with  the  European  one.  Good  specimens  of 
it  from  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  show  it  to  be  identical. 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  TRIDACTYLITES,  Brgt, 

V«g.  fbss.,  p.  181,  PL  5a 

Good  specimens  of  tfais  fine  species  have  been  lately  procured  from  the  roof 
shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris,  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong, 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  TRICHOMANOIDES,  Brgt. 

Veg.  foss,  p.  182,  PL  48,  fig.  3. 
A  small  specimen  from  the  same  place  as  the  former. 


412  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  MYRIOPHYLLUM,  Brgt. 

Veg.  foss.,  p.  184,  PI.  55,  fig.  2 

The  straight,  strong  main  rachis  and  its  branches,  like  the  form  and  divisions 
of  the  leaflets,  entirely  agree  with  the  author's  description  and  figures  of  this 
species.  Some  of  the  terminal  divisions  of  the  pinnules  appear  on  our  speci- 
men as  slightly  inflated  at  the  point.  It  is  not  possible  to  see  whether  this 
swelling  is  caused  by  fructification,  or  by  the  remains  of  some  part  of  the  half 
destroyed  epidermis. 

Roof  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris,  contributed  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong. 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  SCHLOTHEIMII,  Brgt. 

Veg.,  foss.,  p.  193,  PI.  51. 

This  species  should  be  placed  in  its  natural  order  after  Hymenophyllites  tri- 
dactylites,  Brgt.,  but  our  specimen,  a  very  fine  one,  is  described  here  from  the 
remarkable  likeness  of  its  divisions  when  deprived  of  their  epidermis,  with  the 
former  species.  Except  a  few  entire  leaflets  which  have  preserved  their  inte- 
gral form,  the  whole  specimen  represents  merely  the  veins  and  their  divisions, 
without  any  substance  of  the  leaflets  attached  to  them  ;  in  that  state,  the  spe- 
cies could  easily  be  confounded  with  the  former  or  considered  as  a  new  one. 

From  the  same  place  as  the  former,  and  due  also  to  the  successful  researches 
of  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong. 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  DELICATULUS,  Brgt. 

Veg.  fo«9.,  p.  185,     PI.  58,  fig.  4. 

This  species,  also  from  the  shales  of  Morris,  could  be  admitted,  by  some  of 
its  parts  deprived  of  their  epidermis,  as  identical  with  that  of  the  same  name 
of  Sternberg,  which  has  been  considered  as  a  Cheilanthes  by  Goppert.  The 
thin  membranaceous  substance  of  the  pinnules  in  our  HymenopJiyllites,  is  gen. 
erally  partly  or  totally  cft'aeed  by  maceration. 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  413 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  TENUIFOLIUS,  Brgt. 

Veg.  foss.,  p.  190,     PI.  48,  fig.  1. 

Well  characterized  by  its  straight  broad  rachis,  the  position  of  the  pinnules, 
the  narrow  lobes,  etc.  The  epidermis  is  also  partly  destroyed. 

Roof  shales  at  Morris  ;  a  small  specimen. 

All  the  foregoing  species  of  Hymenop~hyllites  are  described  as  Sphenopteris 
by  the  author. 

HYMENOPHTLLITES  SPLENDENS,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xix,  fig.  2a  and  26. 

FROND  tripinnatifid ;  primary  pinnae  at  a  right  angle  to  the 
flattened  main  rachis,  broadly  lanceolate  in  outline ;  sec- 
ondary pinnae  alternate,  narrowly  ovate-lanceolate,  oblique 
decurrent  on  the  flexuous  alate  rachis,  alternately  two  or 
three  lobed  on  each  side,  the  lobes  divided  in  two  or  three 
lanceolate,  somewhat  obtuse  teeth.  Veins  in  fascicles  from 
the  base  of  the  secondary  pinnge,  separating  in  each  lobe,  one 
of  the  divisions  ascending  to  the  point. 

The  surface  of  the  whole  plant  is  polished  shining,  of  a  reddish  brown  color. 
This  species  resembles  the  variety  of  H.  furcatus,  Brgt ,  called  H.  membranace- 
ous,  by  Gutbier,  which  is  common  enough  in  Pennsylvania,  especially  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  sandstone  at  Pottsville  and  Mauch  Chunk.  It  differs,  how- 
ever, essentially,  by  the  thick  substance  of  the  leaves  which  easily  separates 
from  the  stone,  by  much  thicker  veins,  merely  approached  in  fascicles  but  not 
united  at  the  base  of  the  secondary  pinnre,  which  are  longer,  narrower,  more 
equally  and  pinnately  divided  in  lanceolate  pointed  teeth. 

This  species  appears  intermediate  between  H.  furcatus,  Brgt.,  and  H.  stipu- 
latus,  Grutb. 

Abundant  in  the  roof  shales  of  the  coal  at  Colchester  and  Morris. 


414  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  INFLATUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xvi,  fig.  6. 

A  tripinnately  divided  part  of  a  frond,  with  primary  divi- 
sions broadly  oval  in  outline  pinnately  cut  into  alternate  ob- 
ovate  obtuse  inflated  lobes,  either  simple  or  parted  again  in 
short  obtuse  divisions;  nervation  obsolete,  the  veins  appar- 
ently branching  in  each  division  of  the  leaves,  and  simple. 

This  species  is  intermediate  between  the  two  sections  of  HymenopTiyllites, 
having  the  mode  and  regularity  of  division  of  the  first,  the  thick  inflated  leaflets 
without  distinct  nervation,  like  some  species  of  the  second.  It  is  distantly  re- 
lated to  Sphenopteris  Rutsefolia,  Gutb.,  Verst.,  p.  42,  pi.  x,  fig.  10  and  11,  from 
which  it  differs  by  the  form  of  its  more  elongated,  narrow,  inflated  pinnules, 
by  the  obsolete  nervation,  etc. 

From  the  roof  shales  of  the  main  coal,  Duquoin. 

The  specimen  is  a  large  piece  of  shale  covered  with  fragments  of  the  plant, 
none  larger  than  the  one  figured. 

§  2.  APHLEBIA. 
HYMENOPHYLLITES  ADNASCENS,  LI.  and  Hutt. 

The  two  specimens  figured,  pi.  xvi,  fig.  7  and  8,  from  the  roof  shales  of  the 
coal  at  Morris,  exactly  represent  the  species  of  Lindley,  as  it  is  figured  and  de- 
scribed by  Geinitz,  in  his  Versteinerungen,  p.  20,  pi.  xxv,  fig.  7  to  9.  But  I 
cannot  recognize  an  identity  between  the  plants  represented  in  these  figures.  The 
one,  fig.  8,  of  ours,  has  the  lower  divisions  short  lanceolate  obtuse,  irregular 
in  their  directions,  with  thin  parallel  veinlets,  and  the  upper  ones  narrower, 
curved,  marked  also  by  thin  parallel  veins  branching  into  each  lobe  ;  while 
the  other,  fig.  7,  has  dichotomous  or  forking,  linear,  narrow  branches,  without 
trace  of  veins  or  veinlets.  The  first  of  these  forms  agrees  with  the  description 
and  figures  given  by  Lindley,  vol.  2,  p.  58,  pi.  C  and  CI,  who  compares  the 
plant  to  some  Lygodium,  or  Hymenophyllum,  but  I  am  disposed  to  consider  the 
other  as  a  peculiar  species.  Our  fragments  are  nevertheless  too  small  to  allow 
a  precise  and  satisfactory  description.  Prof.  Lindley  considers  his  species  as 
a  climbing  fern,  twisted  round  the  stem  of  a  frond  of  Sphenopteris  crenata,  to 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  415 

which  it  is  evidently  attached,  while  Prof.  Geinitz  thinks  that  it  is  fixed  in 
small  bundles  to  the  stem,  like  a  parasitic  plant.  The  State  Cabinet  at  Spring- 
field possesses  specimens  of  a  large  fern  whose  stem,  like  that  described  by 
Lindley,  is  bordered  by  bundles  of  leaves  of  the  same  Hymenophyllites.  The 
specimen  is  obscure,  and  it  is  not  possible  to  decide  how  they  are  attached  to  it. 


HYMENOPHYLLITES  LACTUCA,  Gutb. 

This  species  is  more  rarely  found  in  our  Coal  Measures  than  its  near  rela- 
tive, II.  Clarkii.  Lesqx.  The  State  Cabinet  has  a  very  fine  specimen  of  it  in 
a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek.  It  is  distinguished  from  H.  Clarkii  by  its 
broad  enlarged  fronds  and  narrow  laciniae.  These  fronds  or  rather  pinnae,  on 
one  side  of  the  rachis,  which  are  only  visible  in  part,  appear  placed  in  a  row, 
like  the  alternate  divisions  of  a  fern.  As  the  epidermis  of  some  of  these  pin- 
nae is  destroyed  by  maceration,  the  veins  and  veinlets  are  distinct,  an  d^  are  seen 
passing  in  bundles  from  the  rachis,  separating  more  and  more  in  curving  into 
each  division,  to  end  by  a  simple  veinlet,  ascending  to  the  point  of  the  acute 
ultimate  lobes. 


HYMENOPHYLLITES  ARBORESCENS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xvii,  fig.l   . 

STEM  long,  (the  specimen,  though  broken,  shows  more  than 
one  foot  of  it,)  straight,  about  one  inch  broad  at  its  lower  end, 
two-thirds  of  an  inch  at  its  upper  part,  marked  in  its  length 
by  obscure  lines  apparently  formed  by  bundles  of  veiiilets  and 
alternately  divided  in  thick  oblique  branches,  more  or  less 
regularly  and  deeply  lobate ;  lobes  alternate,  simple  and  linear 
elongated,  or  bi-trifid,  of  various  lengths  and  obtusely  pointed. 

The  divisions  of  this  plant  are  rather  dichotomous,  like  those  of  species  of 
Lycopodiacea,  than  pinnatifid  like  those  of  ferns.  They  are  merely  a  continu- 
ation of  a  main  axis  thrown  out  in  various  directions.  The  substance  appears 
to  have  been  a  compound  of  cellular  soft  tissue,  intermingled  with  bundles  of 
continuous  vessels,  forming  veins  or  veinlets,  and,  by  mere  separation,  ascend- 
ing to  the  last  divisions  of  the  frond.  There  is  no  trace  of  branching  of  veins, 


416  PALEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

but  merely  of  divisions  of  fascicles  of  vascular  tissue.     The  species,  in  its  gen- 
eral form,  resembles  Scliizopteris  pachyracliis,  a  species  of  the  Keuper. 

Found  at  Morris  on  a  large  piece  of  shale,  and  kindly  presented  by  Mr.  Jos. 
Even. 


HYMENOPHYLLITES  CLARKII,  Lesqx. 

PI.  xvi,  fig.  1  and  2. 

The  description  of  this  species  is  given  in  vol.  ii  of  this  Report,  p.  438,  pi. 
xxxix,  fig.  7,  from  a  small  specimen.  It  is  abundantly  found  in  the  concre- 
tions of  Mazon  creek,  and,  though  very  variable,  preserves  the  characters 
which  separate  it  from  H.  Gutbierianus,  Gein.,  viz  :  its  broad,  round,  or  very 
obtuse  divisions,  and  the  great  thickness  of  the  leaves,  which  were  evidently 
hard  and  coriaceous;  for  they  are  not  flattened  on  the  stone  as  in  II.  Gutbieri- 
anus,  but  enter  it,  and  mark  on  it  a  deep  impression,  as  a  hard  body  only  can 
do.  Of  the  two  remarkable  specimens  figured  here,  the  first  appears  to  repre- 
sent a  plant  with  a  long  twisted  or  climbing  stem.  The  principal  axis  is  round, 
grooved,  and  has  its  surface  roughened,  and  marked  with  points  or  scars,  as  if 
it  had  been  covered  by  hairs  or  scales.  As  the  stem  of  the  second  specimen, 
which  seems  to  represent  a  young  plant  evidently  of  the  same  species,  is 
smooth,  these  points  may  be  the  scars  of  rootlets  or  suckers,  serving  as  adhe- 
sive agents  to  help  the  climbing  process.  The  young  plant,  fig.  2,  has  a  short 
stem  already  curved  or  twisting,  and  at  its  base,  some  filaments  resembling 
rootlets.  It  would,  therefore,  be  rational  to  conclude,  from  these  specimens, 
that  the  plants  which  they  represent  were  attached  to  the  ground  or  to  some 
soft  substance,  like  decayed  wood,  by  rootlets,  but  were  at  the  same  time 
climbing  plants.  This  would  explain  the  position  of  H.  adnascens  upon  the 
broad  rachis  of  some  ferns. 


HYMENOPHYLLITES  GUTBIERIANUS,  Ung.  Gen.  and  Spec.,  p.  132. 

The  true  species,  as  figured  by  Geinitz,  is  in  the  State  Cabinet,  in  speci- 
mens from  Colchester,  found  by  Prof.  A.  H.  Worthen. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  417 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  THALLYFORMIS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xvi,  fig.  3  to  5. 

The  specimen  here  figured,  represents  only  part  of  a  frond, 
which,  in  its  whole,  appears  to  have  been  large  and  round- 
ish in  outline,  with  undulate  borders  and  undulate  rugose 
hairy  surface.  From  the  emarginate  border  of  the  frond,  pro- 
trude cylindrical  branches,  either  erect  or  creeping,  whose 
form  is  totally  different  from  that  of  the  frond.  These 
branches,  half  an  inch  thick,  are  covered  with  ob-lanceolate, 
obtuse  scales  or  leaves,  narrowly  striate,  as  marked,  fig.  4,  en- 
larging upwards  and  closely  imbricate.  As  the  scales  are 
mostly  crushed  upo^n  each  other,  it  is  not  possible  to  see  if  these 
stems  are  fruit-bearing,  like  the  branches  of  a  Lycopodium,  or 
are  merely  the  base  of  the  stems  of  some  fronds  of  ferns,  and 
thus  only  a  different  representation  of  the  same  organs  of  the 
plant.  The  specimen  is  good,  the  various  parts  of  the  plant 
are  distinct,  and  the  connection  between  the  branches  and  the 
frond  is  evident. 

This  kind  of  development  may  be  compared  to  that  of  the  Marchantiacese  and 
of  the  Lycopodiacex  with  the  fronds  of  the  first,  and  the  fruiting-stem  of  the 
last  family  of  plants.  I  suppose  that  the  fragment,  represented  fig.  5,  belongs 
to  the  same  species.  It  is  apparently  the  plant  in  the  first  development  of  its 
frond.  The  specimen,  fig.  5.  is  in  a  concretion  from  Morris;  the  other  is  on 
shale  from  Colchester.  The  same  species  has  been  found  also  on  the  shales 
from  Morris. 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  STRONGII,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xviii,  fig.  1. 

STEM  half  an  inch  broad,  erect,  undulately  veined  or  stri- 
ate in  its  length,  bearing  alternate  leaves  ?  covered  with  long 
thick  hairs  or  scales,  diverging  all  around.     It  is  not  possible 
—53 


418  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

to  see  the  form  of  the  leaves  or  divisions,  which  may  be  merely 
part  of  branches.  On  the  left  part  of  the  specimen  the  stem 
is  smooth  and  has  the  appearance  of  a  stem  of  some  species 
of  Hymenophyllites  of  this  section ;  on  the  other  side,  which 
is  unhappily  broken,  the  borders  are  fringed  with  long  straight 
hairs,  appearing  to  come  out  from  another  part  of  the  stem. 
From  this  it  is  hardly  possible  tc  decide  if  the  specimen  repre- 
sents a  true  HymenopJiyllites  or  merely  some  disconnected  part 
of  a  Lycopodiacceous  plant. 

In  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek,  collected  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong. 


§  3.     SCHIZOPTERIS. 

HYMENOPHYLLITES  MOLLIS,  Sp.  hov. 

PI.  xviii,  fig.  2  to  6. 

LEAVES  or  fronds  formed  of  groups  of  thin  filaments,  emerg- 
ing from  a  common  support,  apparently  parasitic,  enlarging 
in  growing  up  or  by  grouping  together,  and  by  compression 
taking  various  forms;  the  laciniae  or  filaments  are  generally 
united  together  without  distinct  nervation. 

This  is  still  one  of  those  singular  plants  of  the  coal  epoch  which  baffles  every 
attempt  at  analysis,  when  one  is  trying  to  compare  them  with  representatives 
of  our  existing  vegetation.  This  kind  of  vegetable  is  doubtfully  referable  to 
this  section  of  this  genus.  Fig.  2  represents  a  kind  of  tubercle,  resembling  a 
piece  of  decayed  wood,  with  traces  of  an  axis  in  its  middle  and  irregular  cavi- 
ties, bordered  all  around  by  a  short  fringe  of  these  filaments  which  appear  as 
growing  out  of  it  in  an  incipient  state  of  vegetation.  These  filaments  repre- 
sented separately,  fig.  3,  are  like  linear,  thin,  short,  obtuse  laeiniie,  united 
together  and  without  nerves,  or  with  thin  parallel  veinlets.  In  fig.  4,  these 
filaments,  much  elongated,  are  separated  in  the  middle  and  near  the  base  in 
various  ways,  appearing  to  come  out  from  a  mere  point  and  to  enlarge  in  as- 
cending. In  fig.  5,  the  point  of  attachment  of  the  whole  group  of  filaments  is 
well  marked,  and  from  it,  the  lacinias  seem  to  be  attached  or  to  grow  upon  one 
another  like  the  subdivisions  of  a  kind  of  FUIKJUS.  Fig.  6  represents  a  group 
or  a  heap  of  these  filaments  which  appear  attached  and  growing  upon  each 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  419 

other  like  parasitic  plants,  the  whole  by  compression  being  crushed,  forming 
a  kind  of  flattened  ball.  In  all  these  varied  appearances  of  the  same  plant, 
no  distinct  trace  of  a  true  nervation  can  be  seen.  The  lines  marked  on  the 
figures,  exactly  as  they  are  perceivable  on  the  stone,  are  more  or  less  inflated 
in  places,  and  can  be  considered,  as  well  as  the  borders  of  the  filaments,  as 
true  veins.  They  do  not  branch,  and  are  mostly -parallel.  They  may,  never- 
theless, represent  the  parallel  groups  of  vessels  which  characterize  the  species 
of  this  section  of  Hymenophyllites.  The  substance  of  these  plants  was  evidently 
soft,  for  the  specimen  fig.  6  represents  a  compound  of  many  of  these  leaves  ap- 
pressed  and  crushed  together,  and  the  impression  is  merely  of  a  thin  surface. 

All  the  specimens  figured  here  have  been  found  in  concretions  at  Mazon 
creek,  and  nothing  except  Schizopteris  anomald,  Brgt.,  is  comparable  to  this 
kind  of  vegetation. 


GENUS  PACHYPTERIS,  Brgt. 

'Frond  simply  pinnate  or  bipinnately  divided,  bearing  upon  the  same  hori- 
zontal plan,  opposite  entire  coreaceous  pinnules,  with  a  medial  nerve,  or  with- 
out any  trace  of  nervation,  narrowed  towards  the  base,  not  joined  to  the  rachis^ 
The  peculiar  disposition  of  the  lobes  or  leaflets  of  these  plants,  is  similar  to  that 
of  the  pinnules  of  some  ferns.  The  genus  was  established  by  the  celebrated 
author  for  two  species  of  the  Oolite  of  England. 


PACHYPTERIS  GRACILLIMA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xix,  fig.  6  to  8. 

THE  specimen  represents  only  simple  branches  or  simple  pin- 
nae, bearing  on  each  side,  but  on  the  same  plan,  opposite  very 
oblique,  linear,  oblong,  obtuse,  narrow  leaflets,  joined  by  their 
base  to  the  enlarged  border  of  the  rachis,  or  of  a  medial  nerve, 
and  thus  appearing  decurrent  upon  it.  The  substance  of  the 
leaflets  is  thick,  coriaceous,  without  any  trace  of  a  medial  nerve. 
Fig.  6  shows,  apparently,  a  peculiar  kind  of  ramification  by 
innovation. 

The  specimen  from  which  the  figures  and  descriptions  are  made,  is  on  a 
large  piece  of  shale  whose  surface  is  covered  by  a  quantity  of  simple  branches 


420  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

of  this  plant.  They  are  placed  without  any  kind  of  order,  crossing  each  other 
in  various  directions,  as  if  they  had  been  strewn  on  the  stone,  and  therefore 
the  kind  of  divisions  marked  in  the  figure,  and  abnormal,  if  this  plant  belongs 
to  a  fern,  may  be  merely  caused  by  the  casual  superposition  of  two  branches 
joined  by  their  bases.  The  form  of  the  leaves,  their  peculiar  position  along 
the  stem  on  the  same  side  of  it,  resembling  the  divisions  or  lobes  of  some  ferns, 
and  their  mode  of  attachment,  indicate  the  close  relationship  of  this  plant  to 
those  published  by  Prof.  Brongniart  as  Pachypteris.  In  some  of  our  branch- 
lets  the  basilar  prolongation  of  the  pinnules  along  the  rachis  ?  of  the  pinnae 
has  become  detached  by  compression,  and  they  appear  in  that  way  as  bearing, 
at  the  base,  a  long,  linear  auricle.  The  pinnules  are  a  little  enlarged  to  the 
very  obtuse  point,  as  seen  in  fig.  8,  enlarged  four  times,  and  in  fig.  7,  enlarged 
twice. 

On  shale,  from  Morris,  collected  by  Mr.  Jos.  Even. 


LEAVES  OF  UNCERTAIN  OR  UNKNOWN  AFFINITY. 


GENUS  CORDAITES,  Ung. 

111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  443. 
CORDAITES    ANGUSTIFOLIA,  Sp.  MOV. 

The  roof  of  the  main  coal  at  Duquoin  and  St.  Johns  is  in 
places  covered  to  a  thickness  of  six  inches  to  one  foot,  with 
remains  of  flat,  narrowly  equally  striate,  long  linear  leaves, 
one  to  one  and  a-half  inches  broad,  which,  as  yet,  have  not 
been  found  in  connection  with  any  stem. 

From  their  linear  form  and  from  the  narrow  striae  marking  their  surface,  I 
refer  these  leaves  to  the  genus  Cordaites,  Ung.,  being  unable  to  see  the  char- 
acters which  separate  these  ribbon-like  leaves  into  two  genera,  viz.  Cordaifes 
and  Noeggerathia. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  421 


GENUS  SPHENOPHYLLUM,  Brongt. 
SPENOPHYLLUM  CORNUTUM,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xix,  fig.  1  to  5. 

MAIN  stem  round,  half  an  inch  broad,  articulate  at  equal 
distances  (about  one  inch),  inflated  at  the  nodi  or  points  of  in- 
sertion of  the  whorls  of  leaves,  smooth  but  obscurely  ribbed 
in  the  length,  divided  about  at  right  angles  by  long  straight 
branches  bearing  whorls  of  five  or  six  leaflets,  joined  at  the 
base  ;  leaflets  equal,  fan-like  in  outline,  broadly  cuneiform  to  the 
base,  divided  from  below  the  middle  into  seven  to  nine  linear, 
pointed,  nearly  equal  lobes ;  veins  distinct,  flat,  four  to  five  at 
the  base  of  each  leaflet,  forking  once,  each  division  ascend- 
ing to  the  top  of  one  of  the  lobes  (fig.  5  enlarged) . 

It  is  a  well  characterized  and  distinct  species,  and  in  studying  it  at  Colches- 
ter, I  have  found  among  the  shales  a  great  number  of  broken  specimens,  rep- 
resenting different  parts  of  it,  and  have  seen  all  the  leaflets,  from  the 
largest  one  around  the  broad  part  of  the  stems,  to  those  of  the  branchlets,  pre- 
senting the  same  form  and  kind  of  division.  It  can  be  compared  only  to  a 
variety  of  Sphenophyllum  emarginatum,  Brgt.,  figured  by  Geinitz  in  his  Verst. 
pi.  xx,  fig.  6.  But  it  differs  indeed  in  its  essential  characters:  broader  stems 
and  leaflets,  peculiar  and  equal  divisions,  and  a  different  kind  of  nervation. 
The  branching,  as  seen,  fig.  1,  is  also  peculiar  for  a  species  of  this  genus.  It 
is  worth  remarking  that  the  branches  of  this  plant  are  mixed  on  most  of  the 
specimens  with  the  remains  of  a  somewhat  obscure  Calamites,  resembling  Cata- 
mites Suckowii,  Brgt ,  a  coincidence  which  may  be  casual.  In  any  case  I  could 
not  trace  any  evident  connection  between  the  two  plants,  and  the  stems  of  this 
SphenophyUum  do  not  appear  as  equally  and  deeply  striate  as  are  generally  the 
branches  of  Calamites. 

Hoof  shales  of  the  Colchester  coal. 


422  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF    ILLINOIS. 


SPHENOPHYLLUM  FILICULMIS,  Lesqx.,  Geol.  Rep.  Penn.,  p.  853 

PI.  i,  fig  6. 
Nodule  from  Mazon  creek ;  F.  H.  Bradley. 

Fruiting  catkins  of  Sphenophyllum,  referable  to  Asterophyllites ovalis,  Lesqx. 
Penn.  Geol.  Rep.,  p.  851,  pi.  i,  fig.  2,  are  found  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon 
creek,  and  in  the  shales  of  Morris. 

GENUS  ANNUL  ARIA,  Brgt.  111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  II,  p.  444. 
ANNULARIA  LONGIFOLIA?  Brgt. 

PL  xxi,  fig.  1  to  3. 

STEM  thick,  round,  narrowly  and  equally  striate,  articulate, 
divided  into  opposite  diverging  branches  placed  crosswise  in 
ascending,  bearing  at  the  articulations  whorls  of  ovate-lance- 
olate obtusely  pointed  flat  leaflets,  marked  by  a  broad  medial 
nerve. 

This  species  is  represented  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  by  two  kinds 
of  specimens,  with  different  appearances.  Those  figured  in  our  plates  seem  to 
belong  to  the  upper,  still  undeveloped  part  of  the  plant.  The  branches  and 
leaflets  are  crowded  and  pressed  upon  one  another  in  a  scarcely  distinguishable 
mass,  presenting  sometimes,  as  in  fig.  1,  the  appearance  of  a  peculiar  species 
of  Sphenophyllum.  In  fig.  2,  the  branches  and  leaves  are  more  distinct,  and 
the  form  of  the  leaflets  is  distinguishable  as  marked  fig.  3,  magnified.  On  an- 
other specimen,  which  was  obtained  too  late  to  be  figured,  and  which  shows 
the  plant  in  its  full  development,  the  stem  about  one  foot  long,  half  an  inch 
thick  at  the  base,  regularly  striate  in  length,  is  articulate  at  the  distance  of  one 
inch  by  whorls  of  leaves  of  the  form  described  above,  and  two  opposite  branches 
diverging  in  open  angles  from  under  the  leaves,  and  crosswise  in  ascending. 
The  leaflets,  one  inch  long,  one-sixth  of  an  inch  broad,  twelve  to  fourteen  in 
each  whorl,  are  joined  at  their  base.  The  point  of  attachment  of  the  leaflets 
upon  the  stem  and  the  branches,  is  marked  around  the  articulation  by  small, 
semi-lunar  inflations  or  knots,  corresponding  in  number  with  the  leaflets,  and 
placed  just  above  the  point  of  attachment.  The  plant  represented  by  the  two 
specimens  fiirurcd,  pi.  21,  can  be  compared  with  what  Prof.  Geinitz  has  des- 
cribed and  figured  in  his  Verst.,  p.  10,  pi.  16,  fig.  1,  under  the  name  of  Astero- 
phyUitcs  foliosus,  LI.  and  Hutt.  The  form  of  the  leaflets  being  indistinguisha- 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  423 

ble  in  the  above  mentioned  figures,  a  close  comparison  with  our  species  cannot 
be  established.  It  is  nevertheless  evident  that  it  does  not  represent  the  Fame 
plant  as  ours,  as  its  stem,  though  striate,  like  a  Catamites,  is  not  marked  like 
ours  by  any  knots  of  the  articulations.  Erom  the  mode  of  division,  the  form 
and  the  size  of  its  leaflets,  this  species  of  ours  is  a  true  Annularia,  The  one 
described  and  figured  by  Messrs.  Lindley  and  Hutton  as  Asterophi/llites  foliosus, 
and  which  does  not  even  resemble  that  of  Greinitz,  has  linear  lanceolate,  pointed, 
narrower  leaflets,  and  is  not  comparable  to  this,  which  I  refer  with  doubt  to 
Annularia  longifolia,  Brgt.,  considering  it  rather  a  distinct  species,  under 
the  name  of  Annularia  calamitoides,  Schp.  Prof.  Schimper  has  published,  in 
his  Pal.  Veget.,  p.  349,  pi.  xxvi,  fig.  1,  a  new  species  which,  though  the  leaves 
are  narrower  and  more  acute,  is  nearly  related  to  this  one,  if  not  identical 
with  it. 


ANNULAKIA  INFLATA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xx,  fig.  1  to  3. 

THE  essential  difference  which  separates  this  species  from 
Annularia  longi/olia,  Brgt ,  consists  in  the  form  of  the  leaflets, 
which  are  ob-lanceolate,  obtuse,  subcylindrical  or  inflated  up- 
wards without  trace  of  medial  nerve,  or  with  merely  an  ob- 
scure line  indicating  a  central  vessel,  while  the  leaflets  of  A. 
longifolia,  are  flat,  with  recurved  borders  and  marked  by  a 
thick,  flat  medial  nerve.  The  difference  in  the  form  of  the 
leaflets  is  seen  in  fig.  3  and  4,  and  their  comparative  sections, 
36  and  4  ft.  The  stem  of  this  species  does  not  appear  as  thick 
as  in  A.  longifolia,  and  the  branches  come  out  in  opposite  di- 
rection from  the  middle  of  the  whorls,  or  rather  from  above 
them,  than  from  below. 

The  specimens  figured  are  from  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  where  both 
species  are  abundant,  and  may  be  distinguished  always  by  the  same  characters, 
without  any  form  appearing  intermediate.  It  may  be  that  we  have  here  two 
parts  of  the  same  species,  one  representing  branches  growing  out  of  or  above 
water  under  atmospheric  influences,  with  dry,  flat  leaflets ;  A.  longifolia,  the 
other,  representing  the  floating  part,  sustained  in  water  by  bladderly-inflated 
leaflets,  as  shown  in  our  species.  But  if  it  is  so,  it  is  peculiar  that  this,  so  dif- 
ferent a  form  of  a  common  species,  has  not  been  found  elsewhere  and  described 
before. 


424  PALEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

GENUS  ASTEROPHYLLITES,  Brgt. 

111.  Geol.  Rep  ,  vol.  ii,  p.  444. 

ASTEROPHYLLITES  RIGIDUS,  Brgt. 

PL  xxi,  fig.  4  and  4  b. 

This  species  has  been  referred  to  Asterophyllites  longifolius?  Brgt,  p.  444, 
vol.  ii,  of  this  Report.  The  whorls  of  the  leaflets,  very  close  to  each  other,  in- 
dicate the  top  of  a  branch.  The  leaflets  are  about  three  inches  long,  not  quite 
rigid,  not  open  as  in  A.  rigidus,  but  they  are  of  a  hard,  solid  texture,  exactly 
linear,  marked  in  the  middle  by  a  deep  medial  nerve,  reflexed  on  the  borders, 
canaliculate  on  the  lower  surface,  thus  presenting  the  true  characters  of  A. 
rigidus  as  recognized  by  other  and  better  specimens  from  the  same  locality — 
Mazon  creek.  The  true  Asterophyllites  longifolius,  Brgt.,  has  been  found  on 
shales  from  Morris,  by  Mr.  Jos.  Even.  It  greatly  differs  from  A.  rigidus  by 
its  leaves,  which  are  soft,  flat,  scarcely  marked  by  the  medial  nerve,  ascending 
along  the  stem  and  undulate,  and  by  the  narrower,  nearly  smooth  stems  and 
branches. 


ASTEROPHYLLITES  GRANDIS,  LI.  and  Hutt. 

Foss.  flora,  i,  PI.  xvii. 

Found  in  fine  specimens  on  the  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris.  Leaves  still 
narrower,  and  whorls  still  mor,e  numerous  than  indicated  by  the  description 
and  plate  of  the  English  authors. 

ASTEROPHYLLITES  FOLIOSTJS,  LI.  and  Hutt. 

Foss.  flora,  i,  PI.  xxv. 
Not  rare  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek. 

ASTEROPHYLLITES  TUBERCULATUS,  Brod.,  p.  159. 

In  the  shales  at  Morris. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  425 


GENUS  EQUISETITES,  Sternb.,  Vers.  ii,  pi.  43. 

Stem  fistulose,  cylindrical,  striate  lengthwise,  articulate,  simple  or  branching 
at  the  sheathing  articulation,  sheaths  attached  under  the  articulations,  erect, 
dentate. 


EQUISETITES  OCCIDENTALIS,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xx,  fig.  5. 

WE  have  only  one  sheath  of  this  species,  the  first  trace  of  a 
true  Equisetites  found  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  this  continent. 
The  sheath  is  open  or  unfolded,  somewhat  broken  in  the  mid- 
dle, about  three  inches  across,  two  inches  long,  regularly  divi- 
ded to  about  the  middle  by  lanceolate,  obtusely  pointed  teeth, 
marked  by  a  strong  nerve,  which  descends  from  the  point  of 
the  teeth  to  the  base  of  the  sheath.  The  surface  in  the  mid- 
dle and  between  these  nerves  is  irregularly  wrinkled,  and  the 
base,  in  the  line  of  connection  with  the  stem,  is  marked  by 
regular,  half  round  notches,  corresponding  evidently  with  the 
striae  of  the  stem. 

The  specimen  is  from  Mazon  creek,  a  concretion  where  this  part  of  the  plant 
is  distinctly  preserved.  Another  specimen  from  the  same  locality,  but  in  a 
bad  state  of  preservation,  contains  also  fragments  of  an  Equisetites,  whose  spe- 
cific relation  cannot  be  recognized.  It  has  the  remains  of  a  stem  about  one 
inch  in  diameter,  with  a  lacerate  sheath. 


—54 


426  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


SELAGINI$,  Endl. 


GENUS  LYCOPODITES,  Brgt. 

111.  Geol.  Kept.,  vol.  ii,  p.  447. 

LYCOPODITES  ANNULARL&FOLIUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxi,  fig  5. 

STEM  round,  as  seen  in  fig.  5  dichotomous,  bearing  opposite 
leaves,  apparently  united  by  two  at  the  base,  half  embracing 
and  slightly  decurrent ;  leaves  linear-lanceolate,  obtusely 
pointed,  slightly  narrowed  to  the  base,  marked  with  a  medial 
nerve,  disappearing  above  the  middle,  open  or  slightly  reflexed. 

The  mode  of  branching  of  this  species,  by  a  peculiar  kind  of  dichotomy  ob- 
servable in  some  Lycopodiacest  of  our  time,  the  Ruelliee,  for  example,  indicates 
the  nature  of  this  peculiar  plant.  It  is  not  quite  evident  that  the  leaves  are 
approached  by  pairs,  and  placed  in  two  parallel  rows  or  distichous ;  the  speci- 
men shows  nothing  more  definite  than  what  is  represented  by  the  figure. 

No  species  of  Lycopodites  of  the  Coal  Measures  has  been  as  yet  published 
having  leaves  of  the  same  form  and  type  as  ours ;  the  only  one  somewhat  com- 
parable to  it  is  Lycopodites  macrophyllus,  Gold.  Flor.  Saar.,  i,  p.  12,  pi.  1,  fig.  5. 

On  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek;  in  the  cabinet  of  Prof.  A.  H.  Worthen. 

LYCOPODITES  MEEKII,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxvi,  fig.  6  and  6a. 

STEM  very  slender,  about  one-sixth  of  an  inch  thick  toward 
the  base,  dichotomous,  with  continuous,  elongated  branches, 
scarcely  diminishing  upwards ;  leaves  imbricated  all  around, 
narrow,  linear,  lanceolate,  acute,  erect,  or  slightly  open  and 
curving  upwards  at  the  point.  As  seen,  fig.  60,  enlarged, 
these  small  leaves  are  thick,  concave  on  the  inside,  sharply 
pointed,  not  enlarged,  but  semi-embracing  at  the  base,  and 
without  trace  of  a  nerve. 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  427 

This  extremely  fine  and  delicate  Lycopodites  may  be  compared  to  the  upper 
branches  of  Lepidodendron  selaginoidcs,  Ste.rnb.,  as  figured  by  LI.  and  Hutt., 
vol.  1,  tab.  12;  and  also  to  Lycopodites  Sfichlerianus,  Gopp.,  Silurian,  p  170 
tab.  25.  In  our  species  the  stem  is  longer,  more  slender ;  the  leaves  narrower 
and  proportionally  longer,  and  the  ramification  different. 

On  the  roof  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris. 


GENUS  SCHUTZIA,  Goppert,  Permian  Flora,  p.  161. 

Stems  either  single  or  branching,  bearing  on  short  alternate  pedicels  small 
cones  or  strobiles  of  an  ovate  truncate  form,  a  compound  of  imbricate,  broadly 
linear  pointed  scales,  united  at  the  base. 


SCHUTZIA  BRACTEATA,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxi,  fig.  6  to  9. 

STEM  proportionally  thick,  smooth,  bearing  alternate  short 
pediceled  cones  or  strobiles,  about  half  an  inch  long,  enlarged 
ovate  from  a  narrow  base,  truncate  at  the  top,  slightly  turned 
upwards,  placed  at  the  axil  of  a  narrow  linear  bractlet,  about 
one  inch  long  and  curved  upwards.  The  cone  is  a  compound 
of  lanceolate  pointed,  concave  scales,  placed  in  spiral,  closely 
imbricated  and  pressed  upon  one  another,  fig.  7  and  8;  covering 
a  transparent,  yellowish  membrane,  formed  of  small,  elongated, 
equilateral  meshes  :  fig.  9,  which  enclose  or  support  small 
granules  of  opaque,  brown  matter.  These  granules,  scarcely 
the  one-hundreth  part  of  a  millimeter  in  diameter,  are  of  a 
roundish,  irregular,  polygonal  form,  agglomerated  and  separa- 
ting with  difficulty.  Their  size  and  irregularity  of  form  pre- 
vent considering  them  as  spores  ;  they  look  rather  like  grains 
of  pollen. 

From  the  great  difference  in  the  form  of  the  buds  born  on  the  stem,  which 
cannot  be  accounted  for,  I  think,  by  difference  in  maturity,  it  would  appear  as 
if  the  scape  of  this  plant  was  bearing  monoacious  flowers,  the  ones  in  strobiles 
bearing  pollen,  the  other  fertile  buds.  These,  as  seen  in  a,  fig.  6,  have  the 
appearance  of  an  inflated  receptacle,  either  naked  or  bordered  at  its  top  by  foli- 
aceous,  narrow  divisions.  Two  specimens  of  this  plant  have  been  found  in  the 


428  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  and  both  present  the  same  appearance.  Some 
plants  resembling  ours  have  been  described  under  the  generic  name  of  AntTio- 
lithes.  But  this  genus  is  still  indefinite,  and  the  plants  referred  to  it  really 
unknown.  I  have,  therefore,  placed  this  species  for  description  in  this  new 
genus  of  Goppert,  as  more  related  to  it  by  some  of  its  characters. 


GENUS  LEPIDODENDRON,  Sternb. 

111.  Geol.  Report,  rol.  ii,  p.  451. 

The  species  of  this  genus,  as  it  is  well  known,  are  characterized  merely  by 
the  form  of  the  cicatrices,  which  have  been  left  by  the  base  of  the  leaves  upon 
the  bark  of  the  trees  or  of  their  branches.  These  cicatrices  or  bolsters  vary 
indeed  in  size  and  also  in  their  relative  position,  according  to  the  thickness  of 
the  different  parts  of  a  tree,  where  they  are  examined.  But  this  variety  is  far 
from  being  as  marked  as  some  authors,  who  have  attempted  to  reduce  the  spe- 
cies to  two  or  three,  seem  to  suppose  it.  In  following  the  course  of  the  devel- 
opment of  these  scars  on  long  stems  of  Lepidodendron,  from  parts  measuring  at 
least  one  foot  in  diameter  to  the  smallest  branches,  they  may  be  seen  to  vary 
in  size  and  position  according  to  the  degree  of  activity  of  the  vegetation  at 
different  times,  and  also  on  account  of  some  irregular  mode  of  growth ,  but 
their  essential  characters,  viz. :  their  outline,  the  position  of  the  vascular 
points,  as  also  the  form  of  the  leaf  scars  surrounding  them,  is  generally  pre- 
served and  recognizable  in  the  whole  length  of  the  stem;  It  is  argued  that 
for  the  genus  Lepidodendron,  we  should  have  too  large  a  number  of  species  if 
we  would  consider  the  scars  as  specific  characters.  But  the  genus  Sigillaria, 
so  admirably  studied  by  Prof.  Brongniart,  and  after  him  by  the  most  careful 
Palaeontologists,  especially  by  Goldenberg,  whose  acuteness  of  observation  is 
beyond  question,  has  a  number  of  acknowledged  species,  at  least  double  of  those 
of  the  genus  Lepidodendron.  Goldenberg  describes  sixty-seven  species  of 
Sigillaria  I  and  yet  the  specific  characters  are  taken  from  the  same  vegetable 
organs,  or  from  the  cicatrices  of  the  bark,  which  are  certainly  as  much  subject 
to  variations  in  Sigillaria  as  in  Lepidodendron.  Why,  then,  deny  the  value  of 
the  species  of  one  genus,  and  admit  the  reality  of  those  of  the  other.  The 
most  marked  species  of  Lepidodendron  of  our  American  coal  fields,  L.  modula- 
tum,  L.  giganteum,  L.  clypeatum,  L.  vestitum,  L.  distans,  published  in  the  Geo- 
logical Report  of  Penna.,  have  been  found  over  the  whole  extent  of  our  Coal 
Measures,  and  are  recognized  everywhere  by  their  distinct  characters  from  the 
form  of  their  cicatrices.  In  collecting  specimens  on  shale,  for  the  State  Cabi- 
net, great  care  has  been  taken  in  comparing  the  largest  possible  number  of  spe- 
cimens of  the  same  species  at  the  same  place,  not  only  to  obtain  the  different 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  429 

parts  of  a  plant,  but  also  to  carefully  note  the  variations  of  the  same  plant  un- 
der different  circumstances.  In  this  way  it  has  been  possible  to  ascertain  the 
reliability  of  some  doubtful  species  of  Lepidodendron,  and  to  unite  in  one  some 
parts  formerly  referred  to  different  species  or  even  to  different  genera. 


LEPIDODENDRON  RIGENS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxvii,  fig.  1  to  3. 

THE  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  which  have  generally  pre- 
served plants  or  their  parts  in  their  integrity,  without  deform- 
ing them  by  compression,  have  furnished,  among  other  very 
interesting  specimens,  the  branch  of  Lepidodendron  which  is 
copied  in  our  figure.  It  shows  distinctly  the  bolster,  the  point, 
and  mode  of  attachment  of  the  leaves,  around  the  leaf  scars, 
and  the  vascular  vessels,  or  bundles,  in  their  disposition  in  pass- 
ing from  the  stem  to  the  leaves,  as  in  fig.  2.  At  the  same  time 
it  proves  that,  in  some  species  at  least,  the  leaves  of  Lepido- 
dendron were  inflated,  or  somewhat  cylindrical  in  their  whole 
length,  as  marked  in  fig.  3,  and  not  flat,  as  they  are  generally 

seen  on  the  shales.     These  leaves  were  not  hollow  or  tubulose . 

j 

they  are  too  stiff  for  that  in  this  species  at  least,  but  were 
probably  filled  by  cellular  tissue  traversed  by  three  bundles 
of  vessels.  The  form  of  these  leaves  does  not  appear  to  be 
exactly  like  the  outline  of  the  leaf  scar,  as  they  seem  to  ex- 
tend and  become  flat  on  the  sides  in  joining  the  scar,  fig.  2, 
and  in  the  cross  section,  fig.  3,  enlarged,  the  leaf  does  not  in- 
dicate any  angular  compression  on  the  sides.  The  bolsters 
of  this  branch  have  not  yet  their  definite  form,  and  therefore 
the  specific  affinity,  considered  from  these  characters,  can  not 
be  satisfactorily  recognized.  The  narrower  leaves  and  cica- 
trices distinguish  it  evidently  from  the  following  species,  which 
it  resembles  by  the  length  and  straightness  of  the  leaves. 


430  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

LEPIDODENDRON  MORRISIANUM,  Sp,  nov. 

PI.  xxn,  fig.  1  and  2. 

THE  cicatrices  of  this  species  are  of  three  kinds.  Under  the 
surface  or  true  cortex,  they  appear  slightly  upraised,  like  those 
of  a  Knorria,  upon  a  short  pedicel  which  is  enlarged  down- 
wards, rough  on  the  sides,  with  a  flat  rhomboidal  top  or 
leaf  scar,  marked  like  that  of  the  surface  by  three  vascular 
points,  fig.  la.  The  surface  cicatrices  are  broadly  rhom- 
boidal, with  the  opposite  sides  nearly  parallel,  curved  outside 
and  the  leaf  scar  placed  near  the  top,  rhomboidal  obtuse  above 
and  below,  acute  on  the  sides  and  marked  by  three  horizontal 
large  vascular  points.  The  medial  line  of  the  bolsters  is  merely 
indicated  by  two  or  three  horizontal  wrinkles,  enlarged  in  the 
middle.  These  cicatrices  of  the  surface,  when  covered  with 
the  base  of  the  leaves  and  their  coat  of  coaly  matter,  appear 
hexangular,  fig.  15.  The  leaves  one  foot  lojg  or  irore,  one 
and  a  half  line  broad  when  flattened,  are  sharply  marked  by 
three  vascular  lines  and  narrowly,  regularly  striate  on  their  sur- 
face, formed  of  a  pellicle  of  coaly  matter  as  thick  as  a  leaf  of 
paper,  fig.  2  enlarged. 

The  tubular  form  of  the  leaves  of  some  Lepidodendra  is  visibly  marked  in 
this  species,  for  it  is  only  by  considering  them  in  that  way,  that  we  can  account 
for  the  difference  remarked  in  the  relative  position  of  the  vascular  bundles 
when  the  leaves  are  flattened,  for  they  appear  on  our  specimen  either  central 
or  lateral  or  single,  double,  triple,  according  to  the  plan  in  which  leaves  have 
been  compressed.  This  fine  specimen  from  the  roof  shale  of  the  coal  of  Morris 
was  communicated  by  Mr.  J.  Even.  It  now  belongs  to  the  State  cabinet. 

LEPIDODENDRON  MODULATUM,  Lesqx.     Geol.  Rep.  Penn.,  p.  874. 

PI.  XV,    fig.   1. 

In  the  shales  at  Morris,  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong.  It  distinctly  preserves  its  char- 
acters, though  the  cicatrices  are  small.  Found,  also,  in  concretions  at  Mazon 
creek. 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  431 

LEPIDODENDRON  FORULATUM,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxiii,  fig.  5  to  8. 

CICATRICES  distant,  oval,  narrower  and  pointed  at  both  ends, 
wrinkled  across ;  leaf  scar  large,  central,  marked  with  three 
distinct  large  vascular  points,  without  medial  line  or  appenda- 
ges; corticated  surface  deeply  undulate-wrinkled  lengthwise, 
marked  by  deep,  narrow,  equally  distant  furrows,  separating  the 
cicatrices  in  vertical  rows  as  in  the  genus  Sigillaria.  The  de- 
corticated surface,  fig.  7  and  8,  is  regularly  striate  lengthwise 
by  narrow,  nearly  straight  wrinkles,  and  has  its  cicatrices  up- 
raised or  convex-rhomboidal,  split  from  the  central  point  down- 
wards, by  a  deep  narrow  line. 

The  peculiar  furrowing  of  the  surface  of  this  species  does  not  appear  merely 
casual.  A  disposition  of  this  kind  has  already  been  observed,  though  not  quite 
as  distinctly  marked,  in  Lepidodendron  costatum,  Lesqx.,  described  and  figured 
in  the  second  volume  of  this  Report. 

Found  at  St.  Johns,  in  the  roof  shales  of  the  main  coal. 

LEPIDODENDRON  Tuoui.  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxiv,  fig.  1  to  3. 

CICATRICES  of  the  cortex  proportionally  small,  ovate,  long 
pointed  at  both  ends,  separated  by  a  flat  irregularly  wrinkled 
border,  about  one  line  broad;  leaf  scar  large,  placed  above  the 
middle,  smooth,  marked  by  its  three  vascular  points,  without 
medial  line  or  appendages;  cicatrices  of  the  decorticated  sur- 
face of  the  same  form,  smooth,  merely  marked  in  the  middle 
by  a  vertical  line,  fig.  3,  (3  5  enlarged) .  A  small  piece,  fig.  2, 
of  the  same,  though  taken  from  the  largest  part  of  the  tree, 
preserves  the  form  and  distance  of  the  cicatrices  as  in  the  spe- 
cimen of  fig.  1.  The  coat  of  coaly  matter  covering  the  surface 
is  thin,  smooth,  and  the  place  of  the  leaf  scars  is  hardly  indi- 
cated on  it. 


432  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

The  specimens  of  this  species  were  found  in  connection  with  the  Lepdio- 
phloyos  auriculatum  and  its  LepidopJiyHum,  as  seen  in  fig.  1,  in  the  roof  shales 
of  the  main  coal  of  St.  Johns.  Dedicated  to  Mr.  Thos.  Tijou,  superintendent 
of  the  coal  mining  company,  Duquoin. 


LEPIDODENDRON  MAMMILLATUM,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.    XXV,    fig  1. 

GENERAL  cicatrices  marked  obscurely  by  an  irregular  nar- 
row furrow,  obtuse  at  the  upper  end,  narrowed  downwards 
into  a  caudate  curved  point,  central  scar  round,  mammillate  or 
convex,  notched  at  the  top,  or  with  irregularly  undulate  bor- 
ders. The  specimen  represents  the  decorticated  part  of  the 
species,  and  does  not  indicate  any  trace  of  leaf  scar  or  of  vas- 
cular points.  The  surface  is  deeply  and  irregularly  grooved, 
the  grooves  passing  in  undulations  between  the  cicatrices. 

Found  in  large  specimens  on  the  roof  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris. 

From  specimens  obtained  two  late  for  the  plate,  the  species  shows  the  char- 
acter of  a  true  Lepidodendron.  The  cicatrices  are  broadly  oval,  pointed  at 
both  ends,  the  leaf  scar  is  of  an  oval  form,  enlarged  on  the  sides  or  horizon- 
tally marked  with  a  large  medial  vascular  point  and  two  lateral  ones,  placed  at 
the  corner  of  the  leaf  scar  under  which  is  an  oval  convex  bolster.  This  bolster 
is  the  oniy  part  left  of  the  specimens  where  the  surface  is  old  or  eroded,  as  seen 
in  our  figure. 

LEPIDODENDRON  CRUCIATUM,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxv,  fig.  2. 

SURFACE  furrowed  by  deep,  irregular  grooves,  diverging  from 
the  scars  in  quincunxial  direction  ;  cicatrices  distant,  deeply 
cut  in  the  shale,  but  irregular  and  variable,  generally  oval  and 
narrowed  downwards.  The  supercortical  layer  of  coaly  mat- 
ter is  very  thick,  one  line  at  least,  deeply,  narrowly  and  regu- 
larly striate,  filling  the  depressions  or  hollow  scars,  and  oblit- 
erating their  forms. 

The  specimen  from  which  the  figure  is  copied,  is  large,  and  apparently  repre- 
sents the  base  of  a  tree  whose  bark  has  become  roughened  by  age.  The  spe- 
cies is  uncertain  and  not  satisfactorily  known. 

Roof  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  433 

LEPIDODENDRON?  GREENII,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxvii,  fig.  7  and  8. 

CICATRICES  distant  and  deeply  marked,  oval  in  outline, 
pointed  at  the  top,  rounded  at  the  base,  marked  under  the 
point  by  a  round,  deeply  sunk  leaf  scar,  bordered  by  an  up- 
raised ring,  and  marked  by  a  single  central  vascular  point, 
thus  resembling  the  scar  of  Syrigodendron. 

From  the  great  distance  of  the  cicatrices,  which  are  placed  in  a  quincunxial 
order,  and  from  the  form  of  the  leaf  scars,  it  is  presumable  that  this  species 
may  helong  to  another  genus,  or  that  it  is  the  type  of  a  new  one. 

Found  by  Mr.  H.  A.  Green,  in  Mercer  Co.,  Ills. 

LEPIDODENDRON  RUGOSUM,  Brgt.    Brod.,  p.  85. 

Little  Vermilion ;  Dr.  J.  C.  Winslow. 

LEPIDODENDRON  GRACILE,  Brgt. 

Veg.  foss.,  2,  t.  15? 

LEPIDODENDRON  ELEGANS,  Brgt. 

Veg.  foss.,  2,  t.  14? 

In  the  roof  shales  of  the  coal  of  Morris  and  of  Colchester,  there  is  an  abund- 
ance of  small  stems  or  branches  of  a  Lepidodendron  covered  with  short,  linear, 
lanceolate-pointed,  flat  leaves,  referable,  from  the  figures  given  by  the  author, 
to  the  above-named  species.  These  are  considered  by  more  recent  authors  as 
identical  with  Lepidodendron  abovatum,  Sternb.,  the  form  of  the  cicatrices 
being  alike,  and  differing  merely  in  size.  Lepidodendron  abovatum  is  also 
found  at  Morris  and  Colchester  with  large  cicatrices. 


—55 


434  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

GENUS  ULODENDRON,  Rhode. 

Beitr.,  PI.  3,  fig.  1,  Endl.  Gen.,  p.  70. 

STEM  arborescent,  simple,  ?  covered  with  rhomboidal  cica- 
trices, remains  of  deciduous,  strobile-like  branches,  densely 
covered  with  imbricate  leaves. 

This  description,  translated  from  Unger's  Genera,  p.  262,  does  not  give  a 
clear  idea  of  the  form  and  nature  of  the  trees  referable  to  this  genus,  for  the 
good  reason  that  now,  after  years  of  research  among  the  remains  of  fossil  plants, 
these  species  are  known  to  us  by  mere  detached  fragments,  whose  relation  is 
uncertain.  Prof.  Brongniart  has  considered  this  genus  as  merely  representing 
species  of  Lepidodendron,  and  this  opinion  has  been  more  or  less  generally  ad- 
mitted by  others.  And  truly,  the  bark  of  the  trees  or  of  the  species  referred 
lo  this  genus,  bear  cicatrices  or  bolsters  generally  of  the  same  type  as  those  of 
the  true  Lepidodendron,  with  also  the  leaf  scars  and  vascular  points  of  the  same 
kind  and  placed  in  the  same  position. 

They  differ  essentially  in  this  :  that  they  have  two  or  more  parallel  rows  of 
large  round  or  oval  scars,  which  appear  as  if  they  had  been  made  by  the  base 
of  large  strobiles  or  cones,  thickly  covered  with  scales  or  short  leaves.  These 
organs  have  not  yet  been  found  in  connection  with  trunks  or  branches,  and 
therefore  their  origin  is  hypothetical.  They  have  been  considered  either  as  the 
cicatrices  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  leaves,  a  supposition  which  is  not  admissible,  or 
as  the  scars  of  lateral  abortive  or  adventive  branches,  a  supposition  "also  unsus- 
tainable for  vegetables  regularly  dichotomous,  like  those  of  the  genus  Lepido- 
dendron,  or  as  the  scars  of  large  strobiles  like  those  of  our  Lepido&trobus  prin- 
ceps,  (this  Report,  vol.  ii,  pi.  45,  fig.  1)  whose  size  corresponds  with  that  of 
the  cicatrices,  and  prevents  the  idea  that  they  may  be  borne  at  the  top  of  the 
slender  branches  of  Lepidodendron. 

I  consider  this  last  supposition  as  the  right  one.  These  scars,  one  or  two 
inches  in  diameter,  are  placed  in  parallel  rows,  alternate  or  opposite  to  each 
other,  at  a  distance  varying  vertically  from  two  to  eight  inches.  It  is  possible 
that  these  organs]were  borne  on  peculiar  fruit-bearing  branches  of  species  of  Le- 
pidodendron.  The  horizontal  distance  between  them  is  not  great :  2  to  3  inches. 
What  seems  also  to  indicate  branches  is  the  small  size  of  the  cicatrices  of  the 
bark,  which  in  all  our  specimens  is  about  the  same.  There  is,  nevertheless,  a 
peculiar  character  remarked  on  the  specimens  of  all  our  American  species, 
which  is  not  observable  on  the  bark  of  species  of  Lepidodendron.  Their  sur- 
face is  ribbed  lengthwise  by  irregular  ridges,  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  of  an 
inch  broad,  one  to  two  lines  thick,  generally  angular  at  the  top,  bearing  be- 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  435 

tween  them  flattened  furrows,  or  strips  of  true  bark  with  its  cicatrices.  The 
irregularity  of  these  ridges,  which  vary  in  size  as  well  as  in  their  respective 
distances,  being  sometimes  close  to  each  other,  sometimes  a  few  inches  apart, 
contradict  the  supposition  that  they  are  a  kind  of  organism  resulting  from  the 
normal  growth  of  the  trees.  They  are  mere  excrescences,  similar  to  those 
which  are  seen  on  old  trees ;  for  in  some  places,  by  the  expansion  of  their  bor- 
ders they  cover  part  of  the  scars,  in  some  others  they  push  them  aside,  as  from 
the  enlarging  border  of  a  split.  When  supercorticated,  the  surface  of  the  spe- 
cies of  this  genus  between  the  top  of  the  ribs,  is  filled  by  a  coat  of  carbona- 
ceous matter,  half  a  line  to  one  line  or  more  in  thickness,  in  such  a  way  that 
the  surface  of  the  coat  of  coal  is  on  a  plane  with  the  ridges,  and  that  conse« 
quently,  the  coal  is  thicker  in  proportion  to  the  depth  of  the  grooves,  as  seen, 
pi.  xxiii,  fig.  1. 

The  surface  of  this  coaly  matter  is  smooth,  striate  lengthwise  by  narrow  par- 
allel lines,  and  the  position  of  the  cicatrices  of  the  bark  and  of  the  leaf  scars 
is  merely  indicated  by  a  slight  depression,  with  a  point  in  the  middle.  The 
peculiar  nature,  or  rather  the  mode  of  formation  of  this  supercortical  coat  of 
coal,  which  covers  the  surface  of  the  plants  now  examined,  as  also  of  most  of 
the  species  of  trees  found  in  the  shales  and  in  the  sandstone  of  the  Coal 
Measures,  is  not  explained.  It  is  evident  from  what  is  seen  on  our  specimens, 
that  it  does  not  represent  a  true  cortex,  but  that  it  is  rather  produced  by  some 
exudation  of  matter  (ulmic  acid  ?)  forced,  by  compression,  during  the  process 
of  maceration  and  carbonization  of  the  plants.  This  supposition,  however,  does 
not  account  for  the  peculiar  marks  left  and  defined  upon  the  surface  of  this 
matter,  and  different  in  each  species. 

ULODENDRON  MAJUS,  LI.  and  Hutt. 

Foss.  flora.,  i,  p.  22,  t  s. 

Sigillaria  Menardi,  Lesqx. 

111.  Geol.  Rep  ,  vol.  ii,  p.  450,  PI.  43. 

Large  and  numerous  specimens  of  this  species,  obtained  from  the  shales  at 
Morris,  have  afforded  opportunity  of  studying  it  under  various  appearances, 
and  of  recognizing  its  identity  with  the  species  described  and  figured  by  Lind- 
ley  and  by  Sternberg.  Though  the  cicatrices  are  most  of  the  time  obliterated, 
and  their  outline  modified,  some  specimens  present  them  in  their  primitive 
forms,  with  the  essential  characters,  the  three-pointed  leaf  scar  of  the  genus 
Lepidodendron. 

They  are  rhornboidal  in  outline,  pointed  or  truncate  at  the  top,  rounded  at 
the  base,  enlarged  on  the  obtusely  pointed  sides,  marked  in  the  middle  by  a 


436  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

slightly  inflated  bolster,  and  topped  by  a  small  rhouiboidal  leaf  scar,  marked 
with  three  vascular  points.  The  details  characterizing  this  species,  and  which 
have  not  been  given  by  the  authors,  are  represented  in  our  plate  22,  fig.  4. 
The  outline  of  the  cicatrices  differs  indeed  from  that  of  the  known  species  of 
X/cpidodendron,  and  when  the  surface  is  somewhat  erased,  as  in  the  part  repre- 
sented fig.  46,  and  as  is  generally  the  case  on  specimens  of  this  species,  it  is  un- 
distinguishable  from  that  of  Sigillaria  Menardi,  Brgt. 

In  its  decorticated  state  the  species  equally  preserves  the  appearance  of  a 
Sigillaria^  its  wrinkled  surface  beinir  marked  by  mere  semilunar,  inflated  dots, 
as  seen  in  fig.  4.  The  strobile  scars  are  proportionally  large,  approximated  to 
each  other,  alternating  in  two  vertical  rows,  nearly  exactly  round,  or  rather  en- 
larged horizontally. 

Mr.  Jos.  Even,  of  Morris,  has  kindly  sent  photographic  plates  of  large  spe- 
cimens of  his,  which  bear  these  strobile  scars,  one  and  a-half  inches  in  diam- 
eter, at  a  horizontal  distance  of  three  inches,  and  only  one  and  a-half  inches 
from  each  other  in  vertical  direction.  The  vertical  distance  of  these  scars  is 
apparently  variable ;  it  is,  however,  generally  shorter  in  this  species  than  in 
the  following  ones. 

On  snales  at  Morris  and  Colchester. 


ULODENDRON  ELLIPTICUM,  Sternb. 

PL  xxii,  fig.  3,  and  PL  xxiii,  fig.  1  to  3. 

Under  the  name  of  H/epidodendron  ornatfssimum,  Prof.  Brongniart  has  repre- 
sented in  his  Foss.  Flor.,  vol.  2,  pi.  18,  a  large  specimen  of  this  species.  As 
there  is  not  as  yet  a  detailed  description  of  it,  and  as  the  cicatrices  of  the  sur- 
face are  not  as  clearly  defined  on  the  European  specimens  as  on  ours,  I  have 
figured  the  essential  parts  of  this  species  as  exemplifications  of  its  general  ap- 
pearance. 

The  surface  cicatrices  are  almost  exactly  rhomboidal,  angular  on  the  sides, 
slightly  elongated,  more  or  less  distant,  with  the  leaf  scar  nearly  central, 
marked  in  the  middle  by  a  depression  or  small  hollow,  as  indicating  the  place 
of  a  single  vascular  scar.  These  scars  arc  not  indicated  by  any  of  the  Euro- 
pean authors.  It  is  probable  that  the  two  lateral  ones  are  obliterated,  but, 
although  a  great  number  of  specimens  were  carefully  examined,  they  could  not 
be  detected  on  any  one  of  them.  PI.  23,  fig.  3  enlarged,  shows  the  details  of 
the  forms  of  these  cicatrices. 

The  strobile  scars  on  this  species  are  opposite  to  each  other,  vertically  more 
distant  than  in  the  former,  or  four  to  six  inches,  and  horizontally  six  inches. 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  437 

On  the  largest  of  rny  specimens,  the  scars  are  two  and  a-half  inches  long  and 
one  and  three-fourth  inches  broad.  Some  of  these  scars  are  distinctly  marked 
by  the  cicatrices  of  the  surface  nearly  to  the  middle,  or  just  to  the  point  of  at- 
tachment of  the  strobile,  which  has  only  one-third  of  an  inch  diameter. 
This  clearly  indicates  that  the  growth  of  the  leaves  was  stopped  around  the 
pedicel  of  the  cones  by  the  compression  of  their  open  scales,  and  that  the  cone 
itself  was  attached  to  the  tree  by  a  pedicel  as  small  as  is  generally  the  central 
axis  of  a  Lepidostroibus. 

Collected  in  splendid  specimens  from  Morris,  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong. 


ULODENDRON  ELONGATUM,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxiii,  fig.  4. 

THE  cicatrices  of  the  surface  are  in  this  species  about  of  the 
same  form  as  those  of  Lepidodendron  rimosum,  Stern.,  or  of 
Lepidodendron  simplex,  Lesqx.,  as  represented  vol.  2,  pi.  45, 
fig.  5,  ofthis  Report.  They  differ  only  by  a  narrow,  elevated 
round  border,  which,  as  they  are  slightly  apart  from  each  other, 
leaves  between  them  a  narrow  smooth  furrow.  The  leaf  scar 
is  nearly  central,  as  marked  on  the  figure,  and  shows  the  three 
vascular  points  of  a  Lepidodendron.  The  strobile-scars  are 
proportionally  longer  and  narrower,  than  in  the  former  spe- 
cies, nearly  twice  as  long  as  broad,  vertically  distant  eight 
inches  or  more. 

As  I  have  not  seen  any  specimens  with  double  rows  of  these  scars,  I  do  not 
know  at  what  distance  they  are  placed  horizontally,  and  whether  they  are  alter- 
nate or  opposite.  From  the  form  of  its  cicatrices,  this  species  might  be  identi- 
cal with  our  Lepidodendron  simplex,  and  the  strobile  scars  represent  the  base  of 
a  cone  like  Lcpldostrouus  princcps,  Lesqx.,  loc.  cit.  Both  species  also  may  be 
referable  to  Lepidodendron  rimosiim,  Siernb.,  and  Lepidostrolus  variabilis,  LI 
and  Hutt.,  which  Prof.  Geinitz,  in  his  Verst..  p.  35,  describes  as  the  same.  It 
is  only  remarkable  that  this  celebrated  author  persists  in  considering  these  enor- 
mous cones  as  sustained  at  the  end  of  small  branches  which,  according  to  his 
description,  are  only  one-third  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  that  he  admits  the 
round  scars  of  cones  as  mere  branch  scars.  Pie  has  only  figured  one  of  them, 
however,  in  his  tab.  3,  fig.  16.  It  appears  to  represent  the  three  different  forms 
of  U  lodvndron  majus,  under  the  name  of  llalonia  punctata,  LI. 


438  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

ULODENDRON  PUNCTATUM,  Sternb.  Vers.  2,  p.  186. 

Tab.  45,  fig.  1,  a-e. 

I  refer  to  this  species,  though  with  some  doubt,  a  beautiful  and  well  preserved 
specimen,  lately  communicated  by  Mr.  John  Collet,  from  the  Mahoning  sand, 
stone?  of  Clinton,  Vermilion  county,  Ind.,  near  the  limits  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois. The  specimen  represents  a  branch  compressed  into  an  oval  shape  and 
slightly  arched,  three  and  three-fourths  inches  broad  across  in  its  broadest 
diameter,  two  and  a-half  inches  in  the  narrowest  compressed  part,  its  upper 
cortex  marked  by  small,  oval,  convex-pointed  intumescences,  with  a  small  oval, 
deeply  concave  scar  at  the  point,  placed  in  spiral  at  about  one  line  distance  from 
each  other.  The  upper  cortex  is  tormed  by  a  pellicle  of  ferruginous,  semi-car- 
bonaceous hard  matter,  no  thicker  than  a  quarter  of  a  line.  Under  it  the  surface 
is  marked  with  the  same  kind  of  cicatrices,  but  the  top  oval  scars  are  oblitera- 
ted. On  both  sides  of  the  branches  there  are  two  longitudinal  rows  of  strobile 
scars,  one  and  a-half  inches  distant  from  each  other,  a  little  less  than  one  inch 
broad,  oval  in  outline,  the  center  marked  by  a  round  cavity,  from  the  bottom  of 
which  a  small  mammilla  protrudes.  This  is  surmounted  by  an  elevated  margin 
surrounded  with  round  cicatrices  like  those  of  the  bark.  These  branch  or 
strobile  scars  are  alternate,  five  on  one  side,  three  on  the  other,  horizontally 
three  inches  distant  in  measuring  across  the  upper  broadest  part  of  the  branch, 
and  six  inches  in  measuring  on  the  other  side  across  the  more  flattened  part, 
therefore  appearing  as  placed  in  two  rows  on  both  sides  and  towards  the  supe- 
rior part  of  the  branches.  The  same  configuration  is  remarked  in  Sternberg's 
figure;  but  here  the  scars  are  placed  along  the  concave  border  of  the  curved 
branch,  while  in  ours  it  is  along  its  convex  portion.  The  name  of  punctatum  is 
2;iven  to  the  species  from  the  points  upon  the  branch  scars,  in  the  author's  figure, 
the  cortex  being  marked  by  broadly  triangular  cicatrices.  A  few  only  of  the 
same  form  are  perceptible  at  a  single,  small,  decorticated  spot  near  the  most 
erased  part  of  our  specimen,  under  a  double  layer  of  upper  cortex.  It  appears, 
therefore,  that  this  specimen  represents  the  same  species  in  a  better  state  of 
preservation.  Botliiodcndron  punctatitm,  LI.  and  Hutt.,  2,  p.  86,  has  the  same 
cortical  cicatrices  as  ours,  but  differs  by  its  long  and  more  distant  strobile 
scars. 

Morris,  on  shales. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  439 


GENUS  LEPIDOPHLOIOS,  Sternb. 

111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  457. 

LEPIDOPHLOIOS?  AURICULATUM,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  XXX,  fig  1. 

STEM  or  cone  covered  with  large  thick  rhomboidal  imbricated 
scales,  broader  than  long,  rounded  at  the  sides,  marked  at  the 
top  by  enlarged  rhomboidal  cicatrices  and  three  obscure  vascu- 
lar points. 

The  specimen  copied  in  our  figure  looks  like  a  part  of  a  large  flattened  cone 
whose  broad  thick  rhomboidal  scales  are  imbricated  like  those  of  a  strobile  of 
pine,  and  in  the  same  order.  According  to  Prof.  Goldenberg,  specimens  of  this 
kind  should  merely  represont  the  surface  part  of  stems  (Lepidophloios) ,  whose 
leaves  are  attached  at  the  base  of  the  scales  which  cover  them.  If  this  is 
the  case,  it  is  doubtful,  indeed,  whether  our  plant  is  referable  to  this  genus, 
notwithstanding  the  similarity  of  the  scales  to  those  of  some  species  of  Euro- 
pean Z<epidophloios,  or  whether  it  should  be  considered  as  a  cone  or  Lepidos- 
trobus.  It  is  evident  that  the  scales,  which  are  often  found  isolated  and  vari- 
ously grouped  on  the  shales,  were  free  to  their  base  ;  that  in  their  union,  as  in 
the  specimen  which  is  figured  Here,  they  rather  represent  the  form  of  a  strobile 
than  that  of  a  stem,  and  that  also  some  of  these  scales  appear  connected  with 
Lepidopliyllum  auriculatum,  Lesqx.,  though  the  mode  of  connection  is  not  dis- 
tinct. On  the  other  side  these  scales  are  marked  at  the  top  by  three  vascular 
points  like  (he  scales  of  Lepidophloios,  and  also  have  in  the  middle  the  small 
scar  scarcely  perceptible  with  the  naked  eye,  which  Mr.  Goldenberg  considers 
as  the  scar  of  a  spine,  and  which  also  is  a  character  of  the  genus.  They  are, 
moreover,  remarkably  similar  in  form  to  those  of  JJepidophloios  laricinus, 
Sternb.,  as  figured  by  Goldenberg  in  his  Flor.  Sarr.,  pi.  16,  fig.  1.  Though 
this  may  be  its  true  generic  relation,  this  species  differs  from  the  European  one 
by  the  scales,  which  in  ours  are  proportionally  broader  and  shorter,  and  by  the 
small  medial  scar  which  is  triangular  and  not  round. 

Found  in  the  shales  of  the  coal  of  St.  Johns. 


440  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


LEPIDOPHLOIOS  LARICINUS,  Sternb. 

Vers.  1,  p.  23,  PI.  11,  fig.  2,  3,  4. 

It  is  not  rare  in  the  shales  of  the  coal  at  Morris,  in  good,  well  characterized 
specimens. 

LEPIDOPHLOIOS  PROTUBERANS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxvi,  fig.  1  and  2. 

STEM  arborescent  with  cicatrices  somewhat  distant,  separated 
by  thin,  undulating,  continuous  wrinkles  bordering  the  cauda; 
cicatrices  double;  the  upper  part  or  leaf  scar  is  rounded  up- 
wards and  downwards,  obtusely  acute  on  both  enlarged  sides, 
marked  by  three  vascular  points,  the  middle  of  which  is 
capped  by  a  small,  half  round  dot;  the  lower  part  like  a  broadly 
oval-rhomboidal  wing,  has  both  sides  curving  downwards  as 
a  prolongation  of  the  borders  of  the  leaf  scar,  and  abruptly 
bent  into  a  long  pointed  cauda,  fig.  2.  The  wing  is  marked 
above  the  middle  and  under  the  leaf  scar  by  a  semi-lunar  up- 
raised scar.  The  cicatrices  are  generally  deeply  immersed  in 
the  stone,  and  their  outlines  rarely  discernible.  They  are 
often  covered  with  a  coat  of  thick  carbonaceous  matter,  and 
their  center  marked  by  a  prominent  nose-like  gibbosity. 
In  the  shales  at  Morris ;  collected  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong. 


GENUS  LEPIDOSTROBUS,  Brgt. 

Ills.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  455. 

LEPIDOSTROBUS  (species). 

PI.  xxx,  fig.  4  to  7. 

THE  figures  represent  in  detail  a  specimen  of  a  cone  of  Lepi- 
dodendron  in  concretions,  which  has  its  sporanges  and  spores 
still  preserved  in  their  primitive  position.  The  form  of  the 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  441 

blades  and  of  the  sporange-pedicels,  as  they  appear  when  iso- 
lated from  the  cone,  is  not  recognizable,  therefore  its  specific 
relation  is  uncertain. 

The  cone  is  figured  as  an  illustration  of  the  position  of  the  sporange-cells  on 
their  axis,  to  which  they  are  perpendicular,  and  also  of  the  form  of  the  seeds. 
These  seeds,  fig.  6  and  7,  highly  magnified,  resembling  those  of  a  Lycopodium, 
are  exactly  three  one-hundredths  of  a  millimeter  in  size,  nearly  round  or  slightly 
tetrahedral,  with  valves  discernible  but  without  borders,  and  often  agglomerated 
by  triplication,  but  separating  easily.  The  absence  of  borders  or  wings  on 
these  seeds  indicates  their  maturity.  They  are  easily  detached  from  the  spo- 
ranges,  like  a  brownish  powder.  The  part  seen  at  the  top  of  the  cone,  and 
represented  enlarged  in  fig.  5,  seems  to  be  the  support  or  the  pedicel  of  a  blade 
or  the  scale  of  the  sporange. 

In  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek. 


LEPIDOSTROBUS  OVATIFOLIUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxx,  fig  2  and  26. 

CONE  about  three  inches  long,  one  inch  broad,  with  short, 
erect  blades;  blade  obtuse  at  its  base,  lanceolate  obtusely 
pointed,  comparatively  broad;  pedicel  of  the  sporanges  short, 
lanceolate.  The  axis  of  the  cone  appears  to  be  narrow,  a  pe- 
culiarity which  does  not  agree  with  the  shortness  of  the  pedi- 
cel of  the  sporange.  As  the  detached  blade,  fig.  2  Z>,  is  copied 
from  another  specimen  which  is  crushed,  and  whose  form  is 
unrecognizable,  it  may  belong  to  a  different  species. 

In  concretions  from  Mazon  creek. 


LEPIDOSTROBUS  OBLONGIFOLIUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxx,  fig.  3  and  36. 

A  VERY  fine  specimen,  also  from  the  concretions  of  Mazon 
creek,  representing  an  exact  cross  section  of  a  cone.  The 
central  axis  is  one  line  broad,  the  blade  one  inch  long,  its 
breadth  one-third  of  the  length,  oblong,  obtusely  pointed, 

—56 


442  PALAEONTOLOGY  OP  ILLINOIS. 

squarely  cut  at  the  base,  and  without  auricles  ;  pedicel  of  the 
sporange  narrow,  lanceolate  pointed,  one-fourth  of  an  inch 
long.  In  its  length  it  corresponds  exactly  to  the  distance  be- 
tween the  border  of  the  axis  and  that  of  the  line  of  circumfer- 
ence of  the  cone.  The  sporanges  are  obscurely  marked  on  the 
stone,  mixed  with  pyrites,  but  I  could  not  detect  any  spores. 


LEPIDOSTROBUS  LANCIFOLIUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxxi,  fig.  7. 

A  SMALL,  apparently  narrow  cone.  The  pedicel  of  the  spo- 
ranges, fig.  7  by  is  very  short,  broadly  wedge-shaped,  obtusely 
truncate  at  its  base ;  blade  one  inch  long,  slightly  enlarged  in 
the  middle,  tapering  into  an  acute  point,  with  slightly  diverg- 
ing acute  auricle  at  the  base  ;  medial  nerve  sharply  marked. 

On  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek. 


LEPIDOSTROBUS  TRUNCATUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxxi,  fig.  5. 

CONE  less  than  one  inch  long,  round  ovate,  obtuse,  truncate 
at  the  base,  with  densely  imbricated,  short,  lanceolate  splio- 
rophyllce  (blades) .  None  of  these  can  be  distinctly  seen,  being 
compressed  against  the  cone. 

In  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek. 

LEPIDOSTROBUS  CONNIVENS,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxxi,  fig.  6. 

CONE  small,  ovate  obtuse,  of  the  same  size  as  the  former, 
with  long,  narrow,  linear  lanceolate  spwopliyllce ;  blade  as 
long  as  the  cone,  curved  at  its  top  and  covering  it. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  443 

In  this  species,  also,  the  pedicel  of  the  sporanges  is  unknown.  Both  these 
small  cones  resemble  in  size  and  somewhat  in  form  Lepidostrol>m  gemmiformis, 
Gopp.,  Permian  flora,  p.  142,  pi.  xix,  fig.  14,  15,  16;  but  are  evidently  dis- 
tinct species. 

From  Mazon  creek,  in  concretions. 


LEPIDOSTROBUS  ORNATUS,  Brgt. 

Ll.  and  Hutt,  Foss.  Fl.  3,  PI.  26. 

A  broken  specimen  of  a  cone  of  this  species  has  been  discovered  by  Mr.  Jos. 
Even,  in  a  nodule  from  Mazon  creek.  It  is  cut  across  near  its  base,  and  the 
form  and  position  of  the  sporanges  and  of  the  pedicels  are  distinctly  observable. 

GENUS  LEPIDOPHYLLUM,  Brgt. 

111.  Geol.  Kept,  vol.  ii,  p.  456. 

LEPIDOPHYLLUM  ROSTELLATUM,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxxi,  fig  8. 

A  LARGE  blade,  broken  in  the  middle,  four-fifths  of  an  inch 
broad,  with  a  triple  medial  nerve,  round,  attenuated  at  the 
base  or  strangled  at  its  point  of  union  to  the  pedicel;  pedicel 
of  the  sporanges  half  an  inch  long,  rounded  at  its  enlarged 
sides,  and  narrowed  to  an  acute,  slightly  curved  point.  The 
collum  between  the  blade  and  the  pedicel  is  long  and  narrow, 
giving  to  this  species  a  peculiar  appearance. 

Mazon  creek  ;  in  concretions. 

LEPIDOPHYLLUM  STRIATUM,  Sp,  nov. 

PL  xxxi,  fig.  9. 

THE  specimen  shows  two  blades  and  curved  pedicels  of  spo- 
ranges. The  blades,  broken  at  the  point  and  along  the  bor- 
ders, are  about  half  an  inch  broad,  two  inches  and  a  half  long, 
lanceolate,  slightly  enlarged  above  the  middle,  marked  with 


444  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

one  narrow  medial  nerve,  and  striated  in  the  length  with  well 
marked  parallel  regular  lines,  nearly  as  strong  as  the  medial 
nerve.  The  pedicels  of  the  sporanges  are  still  curved  as  in 
their  normal  position  on  the  strobile,  and  appear  linear. 

This  species  is  distinct  from  every  other  kind  published,  by  its  striated  blade. 
Also  from  Mazon  creek ;  in  concretions  of  clay  iron  ore. 


LEPIDOPHYLLUM  FOLIACEUM,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxxi,  fig.  10. 

Tins  leaf  or  blade  has  a  form  totally  at  variance  with  any 
other  seen  in  the  Coal  Measures,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether 
it  represents  a  kind  of  vegetable  organ,  like  those  described 
under  this  generic  name.  It  is  marked  in  the  middle  by  an 
inflated  body  (medial  nerve?)  one-tenth  of  an  inch  broad, 
which,  at  its  base,  is  abruptly  curved  on  one  side  like  a  spo- 
range  pedicel  of  Lepidophyllwn  at  its  point  of  union  with  the 
blade.  This  medial  nerve,?  slightly  enlarging  upwards,  ab- 
ruptly terminates  at  some  distance  under  the  obtuse  point  of 
the  blade.  The  whole  leaf  is  a  little  more  than  one  inch  long, 
half  an  inch  broad,  oblong-ovate  in  outline,  cut  or  truncate  at 
the  base,  with  a  small  round  lobe  on  one  side  of  it,  and  split 
at  the  top  in  two  or  three  deep,  narrow,  obtuse  lobes  Its  sur- 
face is  smooth,  covered  all  over  by  a  pellicle  of  coaly  matter; 
the  medial  broad  nerve  only  is  naked  and  obscurely  striate  in 
its  length. 

On  a  piece  of  shale  from  the  main  coal  of  Mnrphysborough. 

I  have  lately  received  from  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong,  and  from  the  shales  of  Morris, 
another  specimen  of  this  species,  representing  an  agglomeration  of  three  leaves 
of  the  same  kind  and  form  as  the  one  above  described.  The  point  and  mode 
of  connection  of  these  leaves  is  not  distinguishable,  though  they  appear  to  be 
imbricated  around  a  common  axis. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  445 


GENUS  KNORRIA,  Sternb.  and  Gopp. 

Cicatrices  half  cylindrical,  obtuse  at  the  point,  more  or  less  enlarged  down- 
wards, like  those  which  are  indicated  as  the  essential  character  of  this  genus, 
have  been  recognized  as  subcortical  scars  of  some  species  of  Lepidodendron  by 
Prof.  Goppert  and  other  recent  authors.  We  have  seen  the  same  also  in  our 
Lepidodendron  Morrisianum,  and  in  this  Report  still  a  specimen  referable  to 
Sigillaria  monostigma,  Lesqx.,  is  figured,  and  bears  the  caudal  intumescence  of 
a  Knorria.  We  have,  therefore,  abstained  from  describing  any  new  species  as 
referable  to  this  genus,  though  we  have  in  our  Coal  Measures  the  two  species 
admitted  to  it  by  Goldenberg  :  Knorria  imbricata,  Sternb.,  mentioned  in  vol. 
ii,  of  this  Report,  and  Knorria  Selloni,  Sternb.,  Vers.,  i,  iv.,  p.  37,  pi.  57, 
from  the  shales  at  Morris. 


GENUS  SIGILLAHIA,  Brgt. 

111.   Geol.  Rep.,  ii,  p.  448. 

SIGILLARIA  CORRUGATA,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxiv,  fig.  4,  and  PL  xxv,  fig.  5. 

CORTEX  very  rugose  or  deeply  wrinkled  in  the  length, 
marked  by  linear-oval,  elongated  cicatrices,  gibbous  in  the 
middle  and  cut  by  a  round  angular  scar,  as  seen  pi.  xxv,  fig. 
5.  Lower  surface  also  wrinkled  lengthwise  with  smooth,  shal- 
low strise,  marked  by  cicatrices,  oval  in  outline  or  somewhat 
pointed  at  the  top,  rounded  in  its  lower  part,  marked  in  the 
middle  by  three  irregular,  vascular  scars,  placed  in  the  shape 
of  a  horse-shoe,  or  by  a  semi-lunar  scar  which  points  down- 
wards, and  a  mere  vascular  point  underneath.  These  cica- 
trices are  one  inch  long,  half  an  inch  broad,  distant,  and  placed 
in  quaternate  order. 

This  species  resembles  a  Lepidodendron,  appearing  related  to  L. punctatum, 
Sternb.,  which  Prof.  Brongniart  considers  a  Sigillaria.  Its  leaf  scars  have 
more  analogy  to  those  of  the  last  genus. 

Found  at  Marseilles,  LaSalle  Co.,  at  the  base  of  the  thick  bank  of  sandstone 
which  there  appears  to  take  the  place  of  the  lower  coal  strata,  and  which  gen- 
erally contains  remains  of  large  species  of  plants,  rarely  in  a  good  state  of  pre- 
servation. 


446  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

SIGILLARIA  MASSILIENSIS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxv,  fig.  3  and  4. 

STEM  ribbed,  ribs  flat,  half  an  inch  broad,  with  intermediate, 
deep,  sharply  cut  furrows ;  surface  striated  lengthwise  by  dis- 
tinct, nearly  continuous  lines,  scarcely  flexuous  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  cicatrices ;  cicatrices  larger,  one-third  of  an  inch 
long,  not  quite  as  broad  or  half  as  broad  as  the  ribs,  rhomboi- 
dal,  rounded  at  the  top,  enlarged  downwards  to  the  angular 
sides,  obtusely  pointed  at  the  base,  minutely,  obscurely  striate 
on  the  surface;  vascular  scars  three,  the  lateral  ones  semi-lu- 
nar, caudate,  vertical ;  the  medial  one  horizontal,  large,  oval. 
The  cicatrices  are  separated  from  each  other  by  a  space  equal 
to  their  length.  The  form  of  the  decorticated  cicatrices  is  not 
known. 

This  fine  species  is  allied  to  Sigillaria  intermedia,  Brgt.,  differing  in  its  pro- 
portionally larger  cicatrices,  and  by  the  regular  striation  of  the  ribs,  without 
cross  wrinkles  at  the  base  of  the  cicatrices,  and  by  their  angular  base. 

In  the  sandstone  at  Marseilles. 

SIGILLARIA  MONOSTIGMA,  Lesqx. 

PI.  xxvi,  fig  5. 

This  species  is  referred,  with  some  doubt,  to  the  one  published  in  vol.  ii  of 
this  Report,  p.  449,  pi.  42.  It  represents  a  part  of  a  trunk  or  branch,  four 
inches  broad,  flattened  to  one-half  an  inch  in  thickness,  marked  all  around  in 
the  general  quincunxial  order  by  broadly  rhomboidal  scars,  with  a  round  point 
in  the  middle,  exactly  of  the  same  form  as  those  of  the  cortex  of  Sigillaria 
monosti(jma,  and  at  the  same  comparative  distance.  These  scars  are  placed  at 
the  top  of  an  inflated  lanceolate  cauda,  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long.  This 
kind  of  half  cylindrical  appendage  attached  to  the  specimen  evidently  under 
the  cortex,  gives  to  this  species  the  character  of  a  Knorria.  If,  as  Prof.  W. 
P.  Shimper  will  have  it,  in  his  Vegetaux  fossiles  du  terrain  de  Transition  des 
Vosges,  p.  33,  Knorria,  as  a  genus,  differs  essentially  from  Lepidodendron  by 
the  cicatrices  having  a  single  central  vascular  scar,  our  species  should  be  con- 
sidered as  a  true  Knorria.  But  the  same  author  denies  the  existence  of  any 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  447 

specimen  showing,  at  the  same  time,  the  character  of  Lepidodendron,  or  the 
three  vascular  scars  of  the  leaves  and  the  semi-cylindrical  and  subcortical  ap- 
pendages of  a  Knorria.  These  we  have  evidently  in  our  Lepidodendron  Morisi- 
anum.  The  value,  therefore,  of  the  genus  Knorria,  and  its  true  characters,  are 
still  questionable  and  open  to  discussion. 

Colchester  and  Morris. 


SlGILLARIA  ALTERNANS,  LI.  and  Hutt. 

Foss.  Fl.  1,  pi.  66. 

A  remarkable  specimen  of  this  species  has  been  found  upon  a  piece  of  coal 
at  Morris,  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong.  In  its  lower  part  it  shows  the  row  of  double 
scars  separated  by  a  space  of  half  an  inch,  elongated  and  irregularly  oval.  In 
ascending,  the  scars  approach  insensibly  till  they  pass  to  a  row  of  single  ovate 
pointed  cicatrices,  joined  together  by  their  ends  with  an  oval  depression  in  the 
middle.  This  last  representation  of  Sigittaria  alternans,  LI  and  Hutt.,  is  ex- 
actly Sigillaria  catenulata  of  the  same  authors,  Foss.  Flor.  1,  pi.  58,  and  there- 
fore both  species  ought  to  be  united  in  one,  as  is  done  by  Goldenberg. 

SIGILLARIA  SPINULOSA,  Germ,  in  Gold.  2. 

P.  20,  PL  10,  fig.  4. 

Our  species  merely  differs  by  the  lateral  angles  of  the  cicatrices  being  slight- 
ly obtuse  and  not  acute,  as  figured  and  described  in  the  European  species. 
There  is  no  trace  of  scars  of  spines.  It  may  be  a  different  and  a  new  species, 
but  it  is  on  a  piece  of  coal,  decorticated,  and  all  the  details  of  structure  cannot 
be  recognized. 

Carmi,  White  county ;  collected  by  E.  T.  Cox. 

SIGILLARIA  CISTII,  Brgt. 

Veg.  Foss.  1,  p.  418,  PL  140,  fig.  2. 

This  species  is  placed  in  the  genus  Stemmatopteris  by  Corda,  and  appears  to 
be  a  true  Caulopteris.  Mr.  Bradley  has  found  at  Morris  a  specimen  referable 
to  this  species;  but  it  has  only  one  scar,  and  from  it  to  the  base  of  the  specimen 
there  is  a  surface  half  a  foot  long,  without  trace  of  any  other  scar.  The  whole 
surface  is  ribbed  or  striated  as  in  Brongniart's  figure,  the  striae  curving  and 
uniting  under  the  scars. 


448  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

GENUS  SYRINGODENDRON,  Sternb.  and  Brgt. 

111.  Geol.  Report,  TO!,  ii,  p.  451. 

SYRINGODENDRON  PES-CAPREOLI,  Sternb. 

Vers.  1,4  ;  p.  24. 
In  shales  at  Gray  ville ;  collected  by  E.  T.  Cox. 

SYRINGODENDRON  PORTERI,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxvii,  fig.  4  to  6. 

STEM  round  and  thick.  (The  State  cabinet  at  Springfield 
has  a  branch  four  inches  in  diameter,  and  another  double  this 
thickness.)  Surface  covered  with  scars  placed  close  to  each 
other  in  vertical  rows,  no  more  than  one-sixth  of  an  inch  dis- 
tant, the  horizontal  space  between  the  rows  double  as  large, 
filled  with  vertical  parallel  and  continuous  lines  or  narrow 
wrinkles  close  to  each  other.  Scars  small,  scarcely  one-twelfth 
of  an  inch  across,  round,  marked  in  the  middle  by  a  vascular 
depression,  overtopped  by  a  convex  or  semi-lunar  deep  cavity, 
which  gives  to  the  scars  the  appearance  of  an  open  eye,  fig.  6. 
This  line  either  divides  the  round  scar  at  its  top,  or  passes 
a  little  above  it.  These  scars  have  the  form  of  those  on  Syrin- 
godendron  cyclostigma,  Brgt.,  and  the  strise  of  the  surface  are 
also  of  the  same  kind  in  both  species. 

But  this  species  greatly  differs  by  its  closely  approached  scars,  and  especially 
by  the  absence  of  the  intermediate  furrows.  This  character  might  even  prevent 
the  admission  of  the  species  into  this  genus.  If,  as  I  am  informed,  there  is  a 
specimen  (which  I  have  not  seen),  found  in  connection  with  those  examined 
for  this  description,  and  which  is  abruptly  strangulated  and  reduced  to  half  its 
diameter,  a  form  indicating  a  root  rather  than  a  branch,  this  species  should  be 
admitted  into  the  following  genus. 

Found  at  Eugene,  Ind.,  and  presented  to  the  State  cabinet  by  Mr.  Isaac 
Porter. 


FOSSIL  PLANTS.  449 

SYRINGODENDRON  CYCLOSTIGMA,  Brgt. 

Hist.  Vcg.  Foss,  p.  480,  Tl.  160,  fig.  2  and  3. 
Found  at  Alton,  by  Mr.  H.  A.  Green. 

GENUS  SIGILLARIOIDES,  Lesqx. 

CYLINDRICAL  roots  or  stems  ?  variable  in  size,  marked  on  the 
surface  either  by  round  scars,  without  trace  of  a  central  vascu- 
lar point,  placed  in  a  regular  quincunxial  or  spiral  order,  or 
by  defined  Sigillarioid  cicatrices  with  a  central  vascular  point, 
without  any  regular  order  of  position  in  relation  to  each  other. 
To  this  genus  are  referable  the  remains  of  what  I  consider  as 
roots  of  Sicjillaria. 

SIGILLARIOIDES  RADICANS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxxi,  fig.  4. 

PRIMARY  axis  cylindrical,  about  one  inch  broad,  irregularly 
inflated  and  strangulated  towards  the  narrower^base,  bearing 
long  tubular  rootlets  or  leaves  attached  to  rhomboidal  cica- 
trices, which  are  narrowed  on  both  acute  sides,  and  marked  in 
the  middle  by  a  broad  vascular  point;  leaves  or  rootlets  more 
than  one  line  broad,  marked  in  the  middle  by  a  vascular  line 
or  medial  nerve.  The  scars  are  tolerably  distant,  and  without 
any  regularity  of  position  relatively  to  each  other.  Though 
slightly  variable  in  their  form,  they  are  so  remarkably  similar 
to  those  of  Sigillaria  monostigma,  that  the  intimate  relation 
of  these  remains  cannot  well  be  doubted.  This  specimen  is 
interesting,  especially  as  seemingly  indicating  a  similarity  of 
scars  between  some  species  of  trees  of  the  Coal  Measures  and 
their  roots. 

Mazon  creek ;  in  clay  iron-stone  nodules. 

—57 


450  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

SlGILLARIOIDES  STELLAKIS,  Sp.  ROV. 

PI.  X*ix,  fig.  3. 

STEM  cylindrical,  half  a  foot  in  diameter,  irregularly  inflated 
and  contracted,  obliquely  crossing  the  shale,  marked  on  its 
surface  by  small,  round,  slightly  angular,  sometimes  nearly 
square  or  triangular  cicatrices,  in  exact  quincunxial  order. 
These  are  slightly  upraised  above  the  surface,  truncate,  with- 
out trace  of  vascular  point.  Surface  obscurely  wrinkled  be- 
tween the  scars,  with  lines  diverging  starlike  toward  the  near, 
est  cicatrices. 

This  beautiful  specimen,  figured  half  its  size,  evidently  represents  part  of  a 
root  of  a  large  Sigillaria.  Its  oblique  position  in  the  shale  is  marked  by  the 
upper  and  lower  flattened  surface,  to  which  the  direction  of  the  stem  is  at  an 
angle  of  thirty  degrees.  The  inflation  and  contraction  of  the  cylinder,  which 
is  irregularly  strangulated,  indicates  also  a  tree's  root.  The  scars  placed  in 
regular  order,  though  double  the  size  marked  in  the  figure,  are  much  smaller 
than  cicatrices  of  Stigmtfria.  In  the  strangulated  part  of  the  cylinder,  some 
of  these  cicatrices  are  deeply  immersed  in  the  stone,  and  do  not  show,  any  more 
than  those  which  are  slightly  upraised  above  the  surface,  any  trace  of  a  mam- 
milla or  central  point.  The  wrinkles  of  the  surface  and  their  direction  resem- 
ble those  of  Stigmaria  anabathra  var.  stettaris,  Gopp. 

Found  in  the  roof  shale  of  the  coal  at  Morris ;  by  Mr.  Jos.  Even. 

GENUS  HALONIA,  LI.  and  Hutt. 

Foss.  Flor.  2,  p.  12. 

THIS  genus  represents  aborescent  stems  bearing  two  kinds  of 
cicatrices;  small  ones,  like  round  or  rhomboidal  points  closely 
approached,  disposed  in  regular  spiral  order  around  the  stem ; 
large  ones  more  distant,  upraised  like  half  round,  obtuse  tuber- 
cles, disposed  about  in  quincunxial  order. 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  451 


HALONIA  TUBERCULATA  ?     Brgt. 

PL  xxix,  fig  1. 

STEM  about  three  inches  broad,  flattened  by  compression  to 
one  inch,  bearing  large,  round,  elevated  tubercles,  hollow  in 
the  middle,  or  funnel-shaped,  with  a  round  convex  point  or 
small  mammilla  in  the  center.  The  specimen  is  not  only 
decorticated,  but  corroded  by  sulphuric  acid,  and  nothing  is 
seen  of  the  cicatrices  between  the  tubercles  but  irregular,  un. 
dulate  wrinkles,  crossing  each  other  without  any  definite  di- 
rec*ion.  The  hollow  tubercles  look  like  large  cicatrices  of 
Stigmaria. 

As  the  tubercles  of  the  species  of  Halonia  have  never  been  described  hol- 
low in  the  center,  our  plant  is  doubtfully  referred  to  it.  The  deterioration  of 
the  surface  has  evidently  not  produced  the  cavities  of  the  tubercles,  for  the  in- 
ternal surface  is  smooth,  regularly  inclined  downwards,  bearing  at  the  bottom 
a  discernible  vascular  scar,  similar  to  that  of  a  Stigmaria.  This  species  may 
be  a  Stigmaria,  though  the  cicatrices  are  at  least  double  of  those  of  S.  umbo- 
nata,  Lesqx. 

From  the  Chester  group,  Pope  county. 


GENUS  STIGMARIA,  Brgt. 

111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  447. 

STIGMARIA  ELLIPTICA,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxix,  fig.   2. 

STEM  thick,  half  a  foot  broad,  flattened  to  one  inch;  cica- 
trices placed  in  regular  spiral  quaternate  order,  elliptical,  more 
or  less  elongated  and  proportionally  narrow,  with  a  central 
nearly  round,  small  mammilla,  marked  in  the  middle  by  a 
vascular  point.  The  specimen  is  covered  with  a  thin  coat  of 
coaly  matter,  which  has  filled  the  scars,  where  it  has  an  in- 
creased thickness,  obliterating  generally  the  mammillae.  These 


452  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

are,  however,  distinguishable  at  the  bottom  of  some  cicatrices. 
Their  size  is  proportionally  small.  The  species  is  perhaps  re- 
ferable to  some  of  the  numerous  varieties  ascribed  by  authors 
to  Stigmariaficoides. 

Prof.  Goppert  (Flora  dcs  Ulergangsgelirycs,  p.  246,  pi.  xxxii,  fig.  3,)  has 
published  as  S.Jicoidesvar.  elliptica,  a  specimen  apparently  decorticated,  with 
oblong,  elliptical  and  unequal  cicatrices.  These,  by  their  irregularity  of  form, 
size  and  position,  evidently  belong  to  a  species  different  from  ours.  The  same 
author,  in  his  Gattunyen  Liv  .1,  2,  pi.  xv,  fig.  49,  shows  part  of  the  stem  of  a 
Stigmdriu  ficoides,  whose  cicatrices,  taken  from  within  the  cylinder,  are  ellipti- 
cal, while  those  of  the  surface  are  round.  But  in  the  specimen  here  figured 
we  have  the  true  cicatrices  of  the  cortex.  I  do  not  think  it  advisable  to  enu- 
merate and  describe  ihe  different  forms  of  Stiymaria  as  mere  varieties  of  the 
same  species.  The  vegetable  remains  described  in  the  next  genus,  demonstrate 
that  even  the  roots  of  plants  of  the  Carboniferous  age  are  distinguishable  by 
peculiar  forms  and  peculiar  cicatrices.  It  is  my  belief,  the  genus  Stigmaria 
does  not  represent  tree  roots,  but  floating  stems,  of  which  species  of  the  genus 
Siy'dlaria  constitute  the  flowers  or  fruit-bearing  stems ;  the  difference  in  the 
form,  the  size,  and  the  relative  position  of  the  scars  ought  to  be  admitted  as 
specific  characters  in  the  same  manner  as  for  the  species  of  the  genus  Sigillaria. 
Duquoin  ;  shales  over  the  main  coal. 


STI&MARIA  UMBONATA,  Lesqx. 

Gcol.  Kept,  of  Penu.,  p.  870. 

I  refer  to  this  species  remains  of  a  Stigmaria  found  in  abundance  in  the 
shales  of  the  coal  at  Colchester,  where  the  leaves  are  seen  in  connection  with 
the  stems.  The  cicatrices  of  the  stems  are  of  much  larger  size  than  those  of 
Sligmaria  Jicoides,  and  the  flattened  leaves  are  twice  as  broad,  measuring  half 
an  inch  or  more  in  diameter. 


GENUS  STIGMARI01DES,  Lesq 


x. 


THE  species  referable  to  this  genus,  very  variable  in  form, 
tuberculose,  or  globular,  or  cylindrical,  are  apparently  tree 
roots  or  rhizomas.  They  have,  as  common  characters,  round, 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  453 

small  scars  of  rootlets,  generally  placed  without  symmetrical 
order,  and  without  a  central  vascular  point. 

The  affinity  of  this  genus  with  the  former  appears  at  first  very  close  ;  but  we 
have  here  species,  evidently  roots,  some  of  them  rhizomas  of  ferns,  marked  by 
irregularly  placed  scars,  which  cannot  be  united  to  a  genus  which,  even  if  it 
should  represent  a  kind  of  roots,  is  far  different  in  its  essential  characters,  viz  : 
the  regularity  of  position  and  the  form  of  the  scars.  The  name  of  Rhizolitcs, 
P.  Braun.,  a  genus  enumerated  but  not  described  by  Unger,  might  be,  there- 
fore, appropriate  if,  per  contra,  the  species  had  not  a  near  relation  to  those  of 
the  former  genus,  by  the  form  of  the  cicatrices  and  of  the  leaves. 

All  these  species  appear  to  have  been  of  a  soft  substance,  and  without  excep- 
tion, have  been  found  preserved  in  nodules. 


STIGMARIOIDES  TRUNCATUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxix,  fig.  4. 

A  cylindrical  root,  about  one  inch  in  diameter,  with  a  smooth 
surface,  marked  with  small  round  cicatrices,  without  order  of 
position.  These  cicatrices  vary  much  in  size,  and  are  evidently 
scars,  left  at  the  base  of  short,  horizontal,  flat  rootlets,  scarce- 
ly one  line  broad,  without  mark  of  a  vascular  line.  The  vas- 
cular point  is  also  absent  in  the  middle  of  the  scars,  or  marked 
by  a  mere  cavity. 

This  species  resembles  the  one  published  in  vol.  ii  of  this  Report,  p.  448, 
pi.  xxxix,  fig.  9,  under  the  name  of  Stiymaria  Evenii,  which  has  the  surface 
undulately  ribbed  and  broader  scars,  and  is  also  referable  to  this  new  genus. 

Found  at  Mazon  creek,  in  concretions  of  argillaceous  iron  ore. 

STIGMARIOIDES  TUBEROSUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxix,  fig.  5. 

I  do  not  know  any  vegetable  organ  to  which  these  peculiar 
remains  could  be  compared.  The  specimen  figured  represents 
a  nearly  round  or  square  oval  tubercle,  with  a  convex  sur- 
face covered  with  small  round  points  irregularly  placed,  re_ 
sembling  scars  of  hairs  or  scales.  In  its  upper  part  it  is 


4  54  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

strangulated  or  narrowed  into  a  broad,  tubulous,  plaited  leaf? 
or  stem  ?  resembling  a  large  leaf  of  Stigmaria.  It  may  indi- 
cate the  first  development  of  a  rootstock,  or  represent  a  tuber- 
cle like  those  found  at  the  end  of  the  leaves  of  Stigmaria. 
It  is  marked  in  its  upper  part  by  a  large  round  mammillate 
cicatrice,  resembling  also  that  of  a  Stigmaria.  Its  peculiar 
form  cannot  be  considered  as  some  casual  deformation,  as  it  is 
not  only  distinct  in  the  middle  of  a  concretion,  but  we  have 
two  specimens  of  exactly  the  same  conformation.  The  one 
which  is  not  figured  has  the  leaf  longer,  and  the  tuberule 
slightly  smaller. 
From  Mazon  creek. 


STIGMARIOIDES  VILLOSUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxxi,  fig.  1. 

THE  form  of  this  kind  of  tubercle  is  about  the  same  as 
that  of  the  former  species,  square,  round  in  outline,  appearing 
to  have  been  cylindrical  or  inflated.  Its  surface  is  marked  by 
two  kinds  of  cicatrices:  the  one,  numerous,  punctiform,  infla- 
ted, placed  close  to  each  other  in  irregular  spiral  order ;  the 
other  much  larger,  auricular,  with  a  mammilla  and  central 
point.  The  first  look  like  scars  of  scales,  the  others  like  those 
of  rootlets.  This  tubercle  is,  as  seen  on  the  figure,  in  close 
connection  with  a  branch  of  Pecopteris  villosa,  Brgt. 

But  the  union  of  both  parts  is  not  evident,  for  at  its  base  the  rachis  is 
straight,  and  not  curved  to  the  root,  by  which  the  juxtaposition  may  be  casual. 
Nevertheless  the  verrucoee  surface  of  the  tubercle  resemble  so  much  that  of 
the  stem  of  the  Pecopteris  villosa,  that  it  is  scarcely  hazardous  to  consider  it  as 
part  of  the  rhizoma  of  this  fern,  and  the  same  familiar  juxtaposition  of  the 
same  species  of  fern  and  the  tubercle  is  marked  upon  the  three  specimens, 
which  are  all  that  have  been  procured  as  yet  of  this  peculiar  form. 

Found  at  Mazon  creek,  in  concretions  of  argillaceous  iron  ore. 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  455 

STIGMARIOIDES  LINEARIS,  Sp.  nov. 

\ 

PI.  xxxi,  fig.  2. 

A  long,  linear,  cylindrical  root,  half  an  inch  thick,  slightly 
tapering  downwards,  obtuse  at  the  base  or  broken,  bearing 
narrow  linear  leaves  or  radicles  one  line  broad,  without  medial 
nerve,  leaving  at  their  point  of  attachment  small  round  cica- 
trices, placed  without  order  and  without  visible  central  point. 
The  rootlets  or  the  first  divisions  of  the  root  are  also  marked 
with  round  scars,  fig.  2  a,  indicating  a  subdivision  similar  to 
that  which  is  sometimes  observable  on  leaves  of  Siigmaria. 

Found  at  Mazon  creek,  in  concretions. 

STIGMARIOIDES  AFFINIS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxvii,  fig.  9. 

THIS  species,  represented  by  two  specimens,  appears  inter- 
mediate between  S.  tuberosus  and  the  following.  It  has  a 
short  cylindrical  base,  divided  like  a  root  in  branches,  tending 
obliquely  downwards  and  diminishing  to  a  point.  This  part, 
about  one  inch  long,  is  covered  with  horizontal,  half  an  inch 
long  linear  narrow  scales,  or  by  their  scars,  in  the  form  of 
sharply  elevated  points.  From  its  slightly  strangulated  col- 
lum,  or  top,  it  abruptly  passes  into  a  broad  linear  flat  leaf  or 
blade,  marked  on  each  side  by  two  obsolete  lines  resembling 
nerves.  Its  surface  is  equally  marked  with  distant  points, 
basilar  scars  of  scales,  a  few  of  which  are  still  seen  on  its 
borders.  These  borders  are  straight,  sharp,  well  defined,  like 
those  of  a  leaf  of  Lepidodendron,  and  the  surface  is  minutely 
and  irregularly  striate  lengthwise. 

Found  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek ;  by  Mr.  Jos.  Even. 


456  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

\ 

STIGMARIOIDES  SELAGO,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxxi,  fig.  3  and  36. 

AN  apparently  cylindrical  branch  or  root,  whose  essential 
axis,  about  half  an  inch  thick,  is  tapering  downwards,  dicho- 
tomously  forking,  covered  with  long,  narrow,  linear  hairs  or 
scales  (fig.  3 5  enlarged),  bearing  from  the  end  of  the  divisions 
long,  hard,  quadrangular,  tubular,  thick,  naked  leaves  ?,  with 
a  thick,  medial,  vascular  vein,  and  a  narrowlv  striated  surface. 

These  leaves  or  roots  are  similar  in  form  to  those  of  Lepidophloios,  but  much 
longer.  The  figure  exactly  represents  the  specimen,  which  is  finely  preserved 
in  the  middle  of  a  concretion.  But  the  union  of  these  hard,  smooth,  cylindri- 
cal leaves  with  a  stem  or  root  entirely  covered  with  hairs,  and  from  the  point 
of  alternate  divisions,  is  so  peculiar,  that  nothing  among  fossil  or  living  vege- 
tables, that  I  know,  can  be  compared  to  it.  It  is  uncertain  whether  these  hard 
leaves  represent  rootlets  of  some  kind,  or  root-stalks  or  leaves,  and  possibly  the 
specimen  may  be  figured  the  wrong  way.  By  its  straight,  horizontal,  narrow, 
linear  hairs,  the  part  of  the  stem  which  bears  them  resembles  the  species  pub- 
lished in  vol.  ii,  of  this  Report,  p.  446,  pi.  xli,  fig.  3,  under  the  name  of  Sclag- 
inites  uncinnatus  (1). 

In  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek. 

(1)  Under  the  name  of  Rhizomopteris,  Prof.  Schimper  has  published,  loc.  cit,  p  699, 
two  species  formerly  referred  to  Selaginites,  one  of  them,  S.  uncinnatus,  Lesqx.,  III.  Geol. 
Rep.,  p.  446,  pi.  xli,  fig.  3,  which  he  considers  as  rhizomas  of  ferns.  These  two  last  spe- 
cies of  ours  should  be  referred  t )  the  same  genera.  Phizomoplerls  (SelaginUefi)  Rrdmanni, 
Germ.,  has  been  found  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek  in  well  preserved  specimens. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  457 


GENUS  CAULOPTERIS,  LL  and  Hutt. 

111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  458. 

CAULOPTERIS  OBTECTA,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxviii,  fig.  1  to  4. 

STEMS  of  small  size,  varying  in  thickness  from  four  to  six 
inches,  entirely  covered  with  long,  linear,  cylindrical,  aerial 
rootlets,  attached  to  it  without  relative  order  of  position,  bear- 
ing at.  their  base  an  elongated  oval  scar.  Branch  scars  dis- 
tant, oval  obtuse  at  both  ends,  two  to  three  inches  long,  one 
to  one  and  a-half  inches  broad,  marked  lengthwise  by  broad 
striae,  or  marks  of  aerial  roots.  The  rootlets  are  regularly  cy- 
lindrical, one  foot  long  or  more,  apparently  tubulose,  without 
trace  of  a  medial  vascular  line,  closely  appressed  to  each  other, 
and  upon  each  other  in  the  same  downward  direction,  and  so 
entirely  covering  the  stem  that  their  cicatrices  are  rarely  dis- 
tinguishable. The  branch  scars  are  distant,  as  seen  figs.  1  and 
2,  which  show  both  sides  of  the  same  part  of  a  stem,  and  indi- 
cate the  relative  position  of  the  scars.  The  order  of  position 
appears  to  be  as  one  to  four,  but  is  ebscured  by  the  flattening 
of  the  stem,  whose  thickness  is,  by  compression,  reduced  to 
one  inch  at  the  upper  part,  and  to  two  inches  at  the  lower 
part.  A  branch  scar  and  part  of  stem  are  figured,  natural 
size,  fig.  3.  The  distance  between  these  branch  scars  is  so 
great,  especially  toward  the  base  of  the  stem,  that  a  number 
of  specimens,  some  as  large  as  one  foot  square,  were  collected 
at  Colchester,  and,  though  closely  scrutinized,  did  not  show 
any  trace  of  them. 

—58 


458  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

These  specimens  are  generally  flattened  to  less  than  one  inch  in  thickness,  as 
if  the  stem  had  been  of  a  soft  texture.  Generally  the  coat  of  superposed  radi- 
cles is  transformed  into  a  pellicle  of  coal  and  these  are  marked  on  their  sur- 
face by  very  thin  parallel  striae,  perceptible  only  with  a  strong  glass.  This 
coating  of  radicles  upon  the  stem  of  a  fern  has  nothing  peculiar  in  it,  as  some 
fern  trees  of  our  time  show  the  same  kind  of  conformation.  One  species, 
Polypodium  armatum,  Swartz,  from  Brazil,  is  figured  in  Sternberg's  Vers.,  vol. 
i,  pi.  E.  But  from  the  Coal  Measures  we  have  as  yet  nothing  anala^ous  to  this 
species. 

The  beautiful  stem  represented,  figs.  1  and  2,  is  from  the  shale  of  Morris, 
and  belongs  to  Mr.  Jos.  Even,  who  kindly  furnished  me  with  splendid  photo- 
graphs of  it. 


CAULOPTERIS  ACANTOPHORA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxvi,  tig.  3  and  4. 

THE  species  is  represented  by  numerous  specimens,  some  of 
them  of  large  size,  all  of  the  same  appearance.  Their  sur- 
face, either  naked  or  coated  with  a  pellicle  of  thin  coaly  mat- 
ter, is  marked  by  irregular  elevated  points,  placed  without 
regular  order,  evidently  the  basilar  scars  of  spines,  with  which 
the  branches  or  stems  were  covered.  On  the  large  specimens 
no  trace  of  branch  scars  was  discernible,  but  the  oval  line, 
marked  fig.  3,  running  parallel  to  a  broad  depression  seen  at 
the  corner  of  the  figure.  It  is  a  kind  of  deep  convexity  in  the 
shale,  with  smooth,  irregular  borders,  resembling  rather  the 
impression  left  by  the  sides  of  a  nodule  than  a  branch  scar. 

Fig.  4  represents  a  branch  of  this  species,  apparently  at  least,  for  it  has  the 
same  kind  of  cicatrices  exactly  on  the  surface,  and  still  bears  on  its  borders 
some  of  the  hooked  spines  by  which  they  are  produced.  The  branch  is  atten- 
uated into  a  conical  point  of  attachment  which  does  not  resemble  that  of  a 
branch  of  Caulopteris,  and  is  also  marked  in  the  middle  by  a  scar  which,  per 
contra,  has  the  form  of  the  branch  scars  of  a  fern.  These  specimens,  all  flat- 
tened, are  therefore  probably  only  referable  to  this  genus. 

It  abounds,  like  the  former  species,  at  Colchester,  and  is  also  found  at  Morris. 


FOSSIL    PLANTS.  459 


CAULOPTERIS  INTERMEDIA,  Sp.  nov. 

CICATRICES  elliptical,  elongated,  three  inches  long,  a  little 
more  than  one  inch  broad,  narrowed  downwards  into  a  broad 
cauda,  pointed  at  the  top,  irregularly  ribbed  or  sulcate,  with  a 
central,  elongated  scar,  and  without  definite  marginal  disc. 
Surface  between  the  cicatrices  apparently  smooth,  marked  by 
points  or  mammillae  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  broad,  half 
an  inch  distant,  placed  in  an  irregular  spiral  order.  The 
space  between  the  cicatrices  is  horizontally  one  and  a-half 
inches,  and  two  inches  in  the  direction  of  the  spiral. 

This  species  is  known  to  me  only  by  a  sketch  lately  communicated  by  the 
State  Geologist,  and  received  after  the  preparation  of  the  descriptive  part  of 
this  Report,  and  the  engraving  of  the  plates.  It  appears  to  be  intermediate 
between  Sigillaria  Marodiscus,  Brgt.,  and  Sigillaria  Oistii,  of  the  same  author. 
The  form  of  the  cicatrices  is  about  the  same  size  as  in  the  first  of  these  species, 
but  they  are  disconnected  at  the  base,  placed  in  true  spiral  order,  and  at  some 
distance  from  each  other,  as  in  the  last  species.  It  is  a  true  Caulopteris,  ac- 
cording to  Schimper's  definition  of  the  genus,  while  most  of  our  species  of 
Caulopteris,  viz.,  those  whose  internal  cicatrices  are  surrounded  by  a  flattened 
border  generally  opening  inwards  in  the  form  of  a  horse  shoe,  are  referable  to 
the  genus  Stemmatopteris,  of  Corda. 

In  sandstone,  over  coal  No.  3,  one  mile  south  of  Rushville,  111. 


460  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


FRUITS  OR  NUTLETS. 


GENUS  TBIGONOCARPUM,  Brgt. 

111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  460. 

TRIGONOCARPUM  N(EGGERATHII,  LI.  and  Hutt. 

PL  xxxi,  fig.  16. 

This  fine  fruit  is  cut  in  the  middle  by  a  section  of  a  nodule  which  only  rep- 
resents its  internal  part  and  structure.  As  the  outside  form  is  not  known, 
and  the  internal  disposition  is  slightly  different  from  that  of  the  fruit  pub- 
lished by  Lindley  and  Hutton,  vol.  ii,  pi.  142,  our  species  is  doubtfully  con- 
sidered as  identical  with  the  European  one.  This  fruit  has  three  distinct 
walls  or  envelopes.  tThe  external  one,  more  than  one  line  thick,  looks  like  a 
fleshy,  soft  exocarp,  the  part  which  it  occupies  being  of  the  same  compound  as 
that  of  the  stone,  merely  changed  in  color  and  intermixed  with  small  pyrites. 
Its  form  is  exactly  ovate-pointed,  slightly  emarginate  at  the  point.  The  second 
wall,  transformed  into  crystallized  iron,  is  irregular  in  thickness,  ascends,  first 
as  high  as  the  point  of  the  central  rootlet,  where  it  divides,  one  part  uniting 
both  borders,  the  other  ascending  near  to  the  point  where  it  is  joined  in  an 
obtuse  top.  The  third  envelope,  as  thick  as  the  first,  ascends  to  the  point  c. 
and  is  a  compound  of  a  black  substance  mixed  with  fibrous  tissue.  The  inter- 
nal nut  is  of  a  spongious  compound  like  the  third  envelope,  but  is  marked  with 
more  numerous,  yellowish  filaments,  directed  longitudinally,  and  irregularly 
broken  across.  Its  point  seems  ascending  into  the  first  wall  of  the  whole  fruit, 
The  English  authors  compare  the  fruit  to  that  of  a  palm,  and  recognize  in  the 
middle  of  it,  the  place  of  the  embryo,  a  depression  which  is  not  seen  in  ours. 

Found  in  a  concretion  of  Mazon  creek,  by  Mr.  Jos.  Even,  to  whom  the  spe- 
cimen belongs. 

TRIGONOCARPUM  OLIVJEFORMIS,  LI.  and  Hutt. 

Foss.  Fl.  3  t.  222,  fig.  1  and  8. 
Collected  from  the  sandstone  of  Eugene,  Ind.,  by  Mr.  John  Collett. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  461 


GENUS  RHABDOCARPOS,  Gopp.  and  Bergr. 

Fruits  oval  or  cylindrical  oblong,  marked  lengthwise  on  their  surface  by  nar- 
row equal  striae. 


RHABDOCARPOS  CLAVATUS?,  Sternb. 

PI.  xxxi,  fig.  11. 

Our  specimen  much  resembles  the  figure  given  of  this  species  by  Geinitz,  in 
Versteinerungen,  pi.  xxii,  fig.  13,  though  it  is  much  larger  than  the  fruit  fig- 
ured by  Sternberg.  The  endocarp  is  about  round,  elongated  upwards  in  a  col- 
lum  resembling  the  neck  of  a  bottle ;  its  surface,  which  is  somewhat  convex, 
is  a  mass  of  coaly  matter,  cut  across  by  deep  wrinkles,  caused  by  disruption  ; 
the  exocarp  surrounding  it  is  about  one  line  thick,  of  the  same  shape  as  the 
endocarp,  but  slightly  enlarged  at  the  point  and  funnel  shaped.  It  looks  of  a 
harder  texture  than  the  internal  fruit. 

In  a  concretion  from  Mazon  creek. 


RHABDOCARPOS  MAMMILLATUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxxi,  fig.  12  to  15. 

A  FINE  small  nutlet,  quite  entire  and  separated  from  the 
stone.  It  is  apparently  of  a  hard  texture,  oval,  marked  on  its 
surface  by  regular,  distinct  deep  striae,  running  down  from  the 
borders  of  a  smooth  mammillate  top  to  the  base,  as  seen  fig. 
14  and  15. 

The  surface  of  the  nut  is  a  thin  shell  which,  as  seen  from  a  small  part  which 
is  detached,  covers  a  hard,  smooth  fruit. 

From  Mazon  creek,  in  concretions. 


462  PALAEONTOLOGY  OP  ILLINOIS. 

GENUS  CARPOLITHES,  Sternb. 

111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  460. 

CARPOLITHES  CORTICOSUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxxi,  fig.  17. 

» 

A  SMALL  flattened  nutlet,  oval,  short  pointed  at  one  end, 
(the  point  turned  on  one  side)  and  covered  with  a  thin  yel- 
lowish meinbranaceous  pellicle.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  pro- 
portionately thick  pericarp,  having  the  same  form,  and  being 
a  compound  of  crystallized  iron. 

Mazon  creek ;  in  concretions. 

CARPOLITHES  PERSICARIA,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxxi,  fig.  18. 

A  SMALL  fruit,  one-half  of  an  inch  long,  only  half  as  broad, 
oval  elongated,  pointed  at  one  end,  slightly  emarginate  at  the 
other,  with  a  thick  exocarp,  and  an  internal  compound  of  the 
same  form,  but  of  a  softer  substance.  The  outer  wall  is  pre- 
served, while  the  internal  part  is  nearly  destroyed.  It  resem- 
bles a  small  kernel  of  a  peach. 

On  shale  found  at  Murphysborough ;  and  poorly  preserved. 

CARPOLITHES  VESICULARIS,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxxi,  fig.  19  to  21. 

THIS  kind  of  fruit  resembles  a  small  bladder,  which,  by  com- 
pression in  various  ways,  has  taken  different  forms.  It  is  gen- 
erally elongated,  more  inflated  and  obtuse  on  one  side  than  on 
the  other,  cylindrical.  Its  surface  is  smooth,  generally  cov- 
ered with  a  thin  coating  of  coaly  matter,  marked  with  broad 
wrinkles  and  undulations,  as  in  fig.  19.  Fig.  21  shows  a  kind 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  463 

of  inflation  or  convexity,  surrounded  by  a  flattened  border, 
resembling  an  endocarp  and  its  exocarp.  This  form  may  be 
merely  casual. 

Morris  and  Murphysborough  ;  abundant  in  the  shales  over  the  coal.         • 

CARPOLITHES  BULLATUS,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxxi,  fig.  22  to  24. 

AN  agglomeration  of  oval  or  round,  small,  wrinkled  seeds, 
resembling  vesicular  spores,  all  nearly  of  the  same  size.  Like 
the  former,  they  appear  to  have  been  of  a  soft  vesicular  tex- 
ture Fig.  24  shows  them  enlarged. 

In  concretions  from  Mazon  creek. 

The  surface  of  the  stone  transversely  cut,  is  covered  with  them. 

SIGILLARLE  ?  SfiMiNA,  (Seeds  of  Sigillaria?). 

PL  xxxi,  fig.  25,  and  25a. 

The  concretions  of  Mazon  creek  contain  agglomerations  of  small  seeds, 
united  into  cylindrical-ovate  clusters,  about  one  inch  long,  nearly  half  an  inch 
broad,  obtuse  at  both  ends,  without  trace  of  any  common  receptacle  to  which 
they  might  be  attached.  These  seeds  are  rounded  upwards,  triangular  and  taper- 
ing to  a  point  downwards,  as  seen  in  fig.  25«,  enlarged  five  times.  The  space 
which  contains  these  seeds  in  the  middle  of  nodules,  is  filled  with  a  calcareous, 
white  compound,  in  which  the  yellowish  brown  seeds  are  imbedded  without 
any  apparent  regular  order. 

On  the  shales  at  Morris,  where  clusters  of  the  same  kind  have  also  been  ob- 
served, the  agglomerations  are  flattened  in  irregular  round  patches,  about  one 
inch  in  diameter,  no  more  than  half  a  line  broad.  Though  these  seeds,  by  their 
form  and  size,  are  similar  to  those  which  have  been  figured  by  Goldenberg  in 
his  Fl.  Sarr.,  2,  pi.  10,  fig.  1  and  2,  as  seeds  of  Sigillaria^  and  also  to  those  re- 
marked under  the  scales  of  true  cones  of  Sigillaria  found  in  Ohio  by  Dr.  New- 
berry,  their  generic  relation  is  still  uncertain.  They  are  evidently  referable  to 
some  species  of  the  family  of  the  Selaginese. 

Collected  by  Mr.  Jos.  Even. 


464  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ORGANS  OF  UNCERTAIN  AFFINITY, 


GENUS  PAL^EOXYRIS,  Brgt. 

Ann.  Sc.  Nat,  xv.,  p.  456. 

SPINDLE-SHAPED  strobiles,  covered  with  closely  imbricated 
rhomboidal  scales,  disposed  in  spiral  order,  the  inferior  ones 
passing  to  an  angular  pedicel,  the  upper  ones  lengthened  into 
linear  appendages. 

This  description  is  copied  from  Unger's  genera,  and  though  inappropriate 
for  the  classification  of  the  species  referred  to  it,  this  genus  is  preserved,  with 
its  diagnosis,  for  the  good  reason  that,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter,  the  true  nature 
of  these  organs  is  unknown. 


PAL^EOXYRIS  PRENDELI,  Sp.  nov. 

PL  xxvii,  fig  10  and  12.        ._ 

A  SPINDLE  or  bottle-shaped  body,  appearing  like  a  flattened 
small  bladder,  enlarged  in  the  middle,  tapering  into  a  long 
neck,  more  abruptly  rounded  and  narrowed  downwards  into 
an  obtuse  point,  surrounded  by  a  double  line  of  thin  but  deep 
filaments  or  strise,  scarcely  half  a  line  distant,  often  close  to 
each  other,  ascending  in  spiral  form  from  the  basilar  point,  at 
first  in  an  obtuse  angle  with  the  borders,  but  elongating  up- 
wards and  ascending  into  the  neck  where  they  become  nearly 
parallel  to  its  sides.  The  surface  of  this  capsular  body  is 
formed  of  a  thin  pellicle,  and  by  its  compression,  the  spiral 
lines  of  both  sides  are  marked  upon  it,  thus  forming,  by  their 
crossings,  a  trellis  of  more  or  less  enlarged  rhomboidal  divi- 
sions. In  ascending  into  the  neck,  the  spiral  lines  approach 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  465 

more  and  more,  nearly  uniting  into  one.  The  whole  surface 
is  marked  with  close,  very  narrow  lines,  running  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  twining,  and  discernible  only  with  a  strong  glass. 
The  borders  are  smooth  or  without  any  projections. 

On  the  specimen  represented,  fig.  12,  the  spiral  lines  are  erased  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  body,  which  is  there  undulately  and  irregularly  wrinkled  like  the 
outside  of  an  empty  bag.  As  the  form,  the  distance,  and  the  direction  of  the  spi- 
ral lines  from  under  the  neck  and  upwards,  where  they  are  distinct,  are  the  same, 
I  consider  this  specimen  as  representing  a  modification  of  this  species  by  age. 

The  best  specimen  found  to  the  present  time,  of  all  those  referable  to  this 
genus,  is  that  represented  fig.  10.  It  was  kindly  presented  to  me  by  Mr. 
Michael  Prendel,  of  Morris,  for  whom  the  species  is  named. 

It  is,  like  all  the  others  mentioned  here  below,  from  the  concretions  of  Ma- 
zon  creek. 


PALyEOXYRIS    APPENDICULATA,  Sp.  nOV. 

PL  xxvii,  fig.  11. 

BODY  spindle-shaped,  ovate  in  the  middle,  tapering  and 
elongated  at  both  ends,  filaments  placed  at  about  equal 
distances  from  each  other,  distance  averaging  the  twelfth 
part  of  an  inch,  turning  at  the  middle  in  a  nearly  horizontal 
spiral,  descending  downwards  in  a  more  acute  angle,  and  ab- 
ruptly terminating  above  and  in  ascending,  in  a  concave 
straight  blade,  where  they  become  parallel  with  its  borders. 
On  both  sides,  in  the  middle  of  the  body,  the  lamina  or  sub- 
stance intermediate  to  the  spiral  filaments,  protrudes  outwards 
forming  irregularly  pointed  triangular  teeth  or  appendages, 
which,  however,  are  not  marked  at  some  places.  This  shows 
them  to  be  the  result  of  a  mere  mechanical  lateral  projection, 
like  those  which  would  be  produced  on  its  sides  by  the  com- 
pression of  an  envelope,  either  formed  of  twisted,  concave, 
semi-cylindrical  blades,  or  of  a  soft  bladder,  surrounded  by 
strong  spiral  fibres.  Our  figure  may  be  represented  in  a  wrong 
direction,  or  turned  upside  down. 
—59 


466  PALEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 


PAL^EOXYRIS  CORRUGATA,  Sp.  nov. 

PI.  xxvii,  fig.  13. 

Its  form  is,  like  that  of  the  former,  spindle-shaped,  more  elongated,  and  gradu- 
ally tapering  to  both  its  ends.  Its  surface,  irregularly  folded  and  wrinkled, 
has  not  any  trace  of  spiral  fibres.  In  its  upper  neck,  the  body  appears  passing 
into  parallel  blades,  while  downwards  it  is  bordered  by  two  leaf-like  appenda- 
ges of  a  coriaceous  substance.  These  linear  blades  are  somewhat  concave,  the 
one  bending  downwards,  the  other  upwards,  like  the  remains  of  spiral,  still  half 
bent  laminae.  The  folds  of  the  body  do  not  show  any  peculiar  form  like  the 
outline  of  a  hard  substance  inclosed,  but  they  are  mere  irregular  wrinkles,  like 
those  which  could  be  formed  upon  the  outside  of  a  crumpled  empty  bag. 

From  what  is  said  in  the  above  descriptions,  it  is  evident  that  the  true  nature 
of  the  organs  placed  under  this  generic  name  is  unknown.  They  cannot  have 
any  relation  to  the  flower-bearing  spikes  of  a  Xyris,  for  they  do  not  show  any 
trace  of  scale-like  bracts,  forming  a  flower  head,  or  of  points  of  attachment  of 
such  scales  ;  nothing  that  could  be  compared  to  flowers  or  to  their  receptacles. 
If  these  bodies  were  more  regular,  and  appearing  as  though  containing  some 
nutlet,  they  could  be  compared,  by  the  rhomboidal  marks  of  the  surface,  to 
some  fruits  of  palm,  like  those  of  the  genus  Mauritia  or  Lepidocarpum.  But 
in  all  the  vegetable  organs  of  this  kind,  the  disposition  of  the  scale-like  sur- 
face of  the  walls  is  far  more  regular  than  it  is  in  ours.  It  is  not  quite  evident 
whether  the  spiral  lines  marked  on  the  outside  are  formed  by  the  twisting  of 
leaf-like  blades,  or  by  mere  thread-like  filaments.  The  variety  in  the  distances 
between  these  lines,  as  seen  fig.  10,  tends  to  support  this  last  supposition,  while 
the  lateral  projections  of  the  borders,  in  fig.  11,  and  the  leaf-like  appendages 
seen  at  the  point  and  base  of  our  two  last  species  seem,  on  the  contrary,  to  in- 
dicate a  conformation  by  the  spiral  winding  of  grass-like  leaves.  In  this  case, 
it  could  be  supposed  that  these  bodies  represent  rhizomas  of  some  plant  like 
Cordctites,  whose  unfolding  of  the  leaves  is  in  a  spiral,  and  which  might  be 
seen  already  folded  in  that  way  in  the  embryonic  or  radiculose  state  ?  After 
all,  they  may  belong  to  the  animal  rather  than  to  the  vegetable  kingdom,  and 
represent  envelopes  formed  in  that  shape  by  some  kind  of  insects  for  inclosing 
the  larvas.  Their  irregularity  seems  to  dictate  this  conclusion.  The  two  fig- 
ures given  by  Count  Sternberg  in  Vcrs.,  2,  p.  189,  pi.  59,  fig.  10  and  11,  of 
Paleeoxyris  Munsteri,  represent  a  species  far  different  from  ours ;  but  if  the 
figures  are  exact,  they  distinctly  show  that  the  spindle-shaped  body  is  an  en- 
velope, formed  by  the  twisting  of  three  or  four  leaf-like  blades,  for  at  the  upper 
and  lower  ends,  where  the  twisting  ceases,  these  blades  separate,  and  are  seen 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  467 

linear  and  parallel,  each  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  broad,  with  the  same  form, 
size  and  position,  at  both  endsof  the  inflated  body.  Such  a  conformation  seems 
far  more  the  result  of  animal  industry  than  of  vegetable  organization. 

The  species  hitherto  referred  to  this  genus,  are,  with  the  first-named:  P. 
Munsteri,  of  Sternb.,  Palseoxyris  regulars,  Brgt.,  loc.  cit.,  which,  by  its  regular 
scale-like  scars,  is  different  from  ours ;  Palseoxyris  multiceps  and  Palseoxyris 
rhomlea,  two  species  of  F.  Braun,  merely  enumerated  in  Unger's  Genera  and 
Spec.,  without  description.  The  two  last  species,  like  that  of  Sternberg,  are 
from  the  Keuper  Lias :  that  of  Prof.  Brongniart,  from  the  Permian.  Our  spe- 
cies, represented  in  the  lower  part  of  the  true  Coal  Measures,  are  therefore  in- 
teresting to  science,  from  their  geological  position. 

Mazon  creek,  Grundy  county. 


The  following  species  have  been  found  and  communicated  to  me  since  the 
preparation  of  the  plates  :  and  have  not  yet  been  figured  : 


NETJROPTERIS  MICROPHILLA,  Brgt. 

Foss.  Flor.,  p.  245,  PI.  74,  fig.  6. 

Represented  by  two  specimens  from  Mazon  creek,  which,  though  showing 
the  characters  marked  by  the  author,  do  not  distinctly  indicate  whether  the  spe- 
cies is  truly  a  distinct  one,  or  merely  a  small  form  with  obscure  nervation  of 
Neuropteris  Loschii,  Brgt. 

NEUROPTERIS  ANGUSTI-FOLIA,  Brgt. 

Foss.  Flor.,  p.  231,  PI.  64,  fig.  3  and  4. 

The  specimen  is  an  exact  representation  of  Brongniart's  figures  of  this  spe- 
cies. The  surface  of  the  leaflet  is  smooth  or  without  hairs ;  the  veinlets  some- 
what coarser,  and  not  quite  as  distinct  as  in  JV.  hirsuta,  are  marked  at  the  up- 
per part  of  the  leaf  and  at  the  base  of  the  veinlets  by  the  same  kind  of  swell- 
ing or  tumor  which  is  seen  in  the  author's  species,  and  has  been  considered  by 
him  as  remains  of  fructification.  The  leaf  at  its  base  is  elongated  on  one  side 
in  a  kind  of  auricle,  and  abruptly  narrowed  or  truncate  at  the  other,  linear 
lanceolate,  obtusely  pointed  with  a  comparatively  broad  pedicel  one-fourth  of  an 


408  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

inch  long.  This  last  character  seems  to  unite  this  species  to  Ncuroptcris  Schcuc7t- 
zeri,  Brgt.,  which  the  author  considers  as  probably  identical  with  Neuropteris 
angusti-folia.  I  have  lately  received  from  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong,  and  also  in  a  con- 
cretion from  Mazon  creek,  a  splendid  specimen  representing  the  top  of  a  pinna  of 
Neuropteris  hirsuta,  Lesq.,  in  the  process  of  unfolding,  or  still  curved  in  spiral, 
whose  leaflets,  very  hirsute  on  one  side  only,  are  narrow,  linear  lanceolate,  and 
unequal  at  base,  exactly  like  the  leaflets  of  JV.  ctngusti-folia,  Brgt.  I  am, 
therefore,  not  yet  satisfied  that  this  last  species  is  a  distinct  one,  and  still  believe 
that  it  may  represent  a  form  of  N.  Irirsuta,  as  it  has  been  explained,  Geol.  Kept. 
Penn.,  p.  857. 

Concretions  of  Mazon  creek;  from  Mr.  Even. 


NEUROPTERIS  CRENULATA,  Brgt. 

Foss.  Flor.,  tab.  64,  fig.  2. 

I  refer  with  doubt  to  this  species  a  specimen  procured  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong 
from  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek.  It  represents  the  upper  end  of  a  pinna 
bearing  oblique,  oblong,  obtuse  leaflets,  attached  to  the  rachis  by  the  narrowed 
base,  forming  a  broad  pedicel,  and  of  the  same  form  as  those  figured  by  Brong- 
niart.  The  upper  leaflets  are  simple,  the  lower  ones  compound,  or  bearing  on 
each  side  at  their  base  a  round,  small,  cyclopteroidal  pinnule.  The  medial 
nerve  of  the  leaflets  is  obscurely  inflated,  the  veins  and  veinlets  are  distant, 
arched,  distinct,  not  inflated,  forking  once  or  twice ;  the  borders  are  slightly 
crenulate  by  a  contraction  of  the  epidermis  at  the  point  of  the  veinlets.  Our 
specimens  agree  well  enough  with  some  of  this  species  obtained  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, as  also  with  the  description  of  the  author.  There  is,  nevertheless,  a  dif- 
ference especially  marked  by  the  division  of  the  inferior  leaflets  with  small 
round  pinnules  at  the  base,  like  those  of  Neuropteris  hirsuta,  a  division  which 
has  not  been  heretofore  noticed  in  this  species.  The  teeth  of  the  borders  are 
also  less  prominent  and  distinct  on  our  own  specimen. 


CALLIPTERIS  SULLIVANTII,  Lesqx. 

111.  Geol.  Rep.,  vol.  ii,  p.  440,  PI.  38,  fig.  1. 

Some  specimens,  in  concretions  from  Mazon  creek,  show  the  lower  divisions 
of  the  pinnae  more  elongated,  and  pinnately  cut-lobed,  as  in  species  of  Alethop- 
teris.  This  kind  of  subdivision  would  therefore  indicate  the  place  of  this  spe- 
cies in  this  last  genus,  as  admitted  by  Schimper,  Paleont.  Veget.,  p.  561.  But 
the  peculiar  nervation  of  this  fine  fossil  fern,  which  is  half  neuropteroidal,  has 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  469 

a  close  analogy  with  the  species  admitted  by  Brongniart  as  the  type  of  his 
genus  Callipteris.  When  better  known  it  may  probably  indicate  the  character 
of  a  new  genus. 


ALETHOPTERIS  LONGIFOLIA,  Brgt. 

Foss.  Flor.,  p.  273,  PL  83,  fig.  2. 

The  specimen,  a  fine  one,  represents  the  upper  part  of  a  pinna,  with  a  broad 
half  round  rachis,  bearing  alternate,  horizontal,  narrow,  linear,  simple  pinnules, 
attached  to  it  by  their  whole  base,  but  not  connate,  with  entire  or  scarcely  undu- 
late borders.  The  nervation  is  exactly  as  figured  and  described  by  the  author. 
The  leaflets  are  marked  by  round  scars  of  son',  placed  near  the  border,  one  only 
upon  each  middle  vein  ;  the  details  of  their  structure  cannot  be  seen,  but  they 
greatly  differ  in  form  and  position  from  those  of  Alethopterisemarginata,  Gopp. 

Concretions  of  Mazon  creek;      r.  Even. 


ALETHOPTERIS  PENNSYLVANIA,  Lesqx. 

Penn.  Geol.  Kept.,  p.  864,  PL  ii,  fig.  1  and  2. 
In  the  shales  of  Morris;  Mr.  S..  S.  Strong. 

ASTEROCARPUS  GRANDIS,  Sp,  HOV. 

UPPER  end  of  a  pinna,  two  inches  long,  a  little  more  than 
one  inch  broad  at  the  broken  base,  evidently  part  of  a  large 
frond.  The  lanceolate  pinna  is  simply  divided  into  alternate, 
open,  lanceolate,  obtuse  pinnules,  one-fifth  of  an  inch  broad 
at  their  connate  base,  and  one-half  of  an  inch  long,  with  a 
smooth  surface  or  with  merely  an  obscure  medial  nerve,  with- 
out other  traces  of  nervation.  The  fructification  is  marked 
by  large  starlike  sori,  placed  near  the  borders  of  the  pinnules, 
four  on  each  side,  one  at  the  top,  with  six  to  ten  sporange-cells 
pointed  towards  the  center,  obtuse  to  the  outward.  The  form 
of  the  sporanges  is  the  same  as  in  Asterocarpus  Sternbergii, 
Gopp.,  Foss.  Farn.,  p.  188,  pi.  6,  fig.  1  and  2,  but  they  are 


470  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

larger  and   more  distant  from  each  other.     The  form  of  the 
pinna  and  of  its  division  is  also  totally  different  in  our  species. 

Mazon  creek  ;  S.  S.  Strong. 

A  number  of  specimens,  representing  fruiting  pinnae  of  Pecopteris  or  Ale- 
thopteris,  have  been  recently  obtained  from  Mazon  creek,  but  are  left  unde- 
scribed,  tbe  essential  characters,  form  and  position  of  the  son',  nervation,  etc., 
being  too  obscure  for  a  satisfactory  diagnosis. 

HTMENOPHYLLITES  FTJRCATUS,  Brgt. 

Veg.  Foss.,  p.  179,  PI.  49,  fig.  4  and  5. 

A  few  small  specimens  of  this  species  have  been  collected  by  Mr.  S.'S.  Strong, 
from  the  roof  shales  of  Morris.  It  is  rather  a  sub-conglomerate  species,  being 
found  most  abundant  at  the  base  of  the  mill-stone  grit,  or  the  top  of  the  red 
sandstone,  in  the  anthracite  basin  of  Pennsylvania. 

STIGMARIOIDES  ?  RUGOSUS,  Sp.  nov. 

As  much  as  can  be  seen  from  two  specimens  obtained  in  con- 
cretions at  Mazon  creek,  by  Mr.  S.  S.  Strong,  the  stem  is  cy- 
lindrical, two  to  three  inches  in  diameter,  marked  with  circu- 
lar depressions,  points  of  insertion  of  branches,  or  rootlets  di- 
verging from  it  all  around,  enlarged  at  base,  cylindrical,  flat- 
tened by  compression,  tapering  or  diminishing  in  size  from  the 
base,  half  an  inch  broad  to  the  top,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  where  these  rootlets  are  broken,  two  and  a  half 
inches  from  the  points  of  insertion.  Their  surface  is  wrinkled 
and  narrowly  striate  in  their  length,  and  marked  by  small 
round  holes,  which  appear  as  the  basilar  points  of  attachment 
of  branches  of  rootlets.  The  cross  section  of  half  a  cylindri- 
cal stem  is  obscurely  seen,  and  appears  to  be  marked  by  broad 
tubercles  like  those  of  a  stem  of  a  Calamites,  only  much  lar- 
ger. There  is  nothing  published  as  yet,  which  can  compare 
with  these  fossil  remains,  but  the  roots  of  Equisetum  Mougeotii, 
Schp.,  Pal.  Veg.,  pi.  13,  fig.  9.  I  consider  them  as  represent- 
ing the  rhizomas  of  some  Equisetacece. 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  FOSSIL  FLORA  OF  THE  ILLINOIS 

COAL  FIELDS, 


The  following  table  enumerates  all  the  species  of  fossil  plants  known  to  this 
time,  (March,  1870,)  from  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois,  and  indicates  the  lo- 
cation where  the  specimens  representing  them  have  been  found.  This  synopsis 
of  the  fossil  flora  of  the  Illinois  coal  fields  may  serve  to  elucidate  the  remarks 
which  have  been  suggested  by  the  study  of  this  flora.  The  figures  marked  on 
the  table  show  approximately  the  proportion  of  specimens  which  represent  each 
species  :  1,  for  example,  for  a  spe6ies  represented  by  less  than  five  specimens; 
12  for  a  species  represented  by  one  hundred  or  more. 


LIST  OF  FOSSIL  PLANTS. 

t? 
1 
! 

5 

K 
§  3 

^ 

CO 

er 
S 

Colchester. 

Morris. 

Mazon  creek. 

ti     Ncuropteris  hirsuta  Lesox  

2 

191 

4 

4 

1?, 

1 

1 

1 

1 

6 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

2 

1 

9, 

2 

a 

?, 

2 

2 

15                u          rurinervis    Bunb  

1 

4 

4 

6 

6 

16               "          Villiersii  Brgt  

1 

2 

2 

1 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1  ' 

26.  DictvoDteris  rubella,  Lesa.. 

6 

Other  localities. 


Lodi,  Indiana. 

Neeleyville. 

Alton. 

Alton  and  Gray vi lie. 

Abounds  at  Grayville. 
Gravville. 


Rock  Island. 

Still  doubtful. 


472 


PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


LIST  OF  FOSSIL  PLANTS. 

e 

a 

|. 

£ 

Murphysbor- 
ough.  | 

Colchester. 

I 

Mazon  Creek. 

—  *  — 
Other  localities. 

2 

3 

1 

1 

30               "            Bradley  i,   Lesqx  

1 

31               "            Schlotheimii  Brgt.   .  .  . 

4 

1 

1 

6 

3 

6 

34                "           iiquilina    Brgt  

3 

2 

2 

35.             "           Pennsylvanica  Lesqx... 

1 

36               "           Massillonis,  Lesqx  

1 

3 

I9 

4 

40  .             "           hymenophyllo  ides,  Lesqx. 

1 

41  .             "           Hallii,  Lesqx  

1 

1 

43  .             "          erosa,  Gutb  

3 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

47               "           Plukneti  Brgt           .... 

1 

48.              "           callosa    Lesqx  

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

53.              "           longifolia,  Brgt  

1 

1 

1 

6 

8 

4 

57  .   Pecopteris  Strongii,  Lesqx  

3 

2 

1 

2 

2 

2 

3 

1 

61                        Caiidolliana  Brgt  ...... 

1 

62.                     cyathea&arborescens?  Bgt 

1 

1 

64                        lepidorrhachis,  Brgt.  ..... 

2 

1 

66                        villosa    Brgt  

1 

2 

4 

6 

12 

9 

68                        oreopteridius  Brgt  

1 

3 

2 

69.                      Bucklandi,  Brgt  

jittle  Vermilion  riv. 

1 

71.                      Cistii,  Brgt  

1 

Abounds  at  Grayville 

5 

74  .                      unita,  Brgt  

3 

3 

12 

3 

76  .                      dentata,  Brgt  

2 

2 

3 

3 

6 

1 

78  .                     flavicans?  Presl  

2 

1 

80  .                     chaerophylloides,  Brgt  

2 

2 

81  .                      Newberri,  Lesqx  

1 

1 

88.   Staphylopteris  Wortheni  Lesqx  .... 

1 

1 

85.             "             sagittatus,  Lesqx.. 

1 

FOSSIL   PLANTS. 


473 


LIST  OF  FOSSIL  PLANTS. 

o 

1 
9. 

P" 

.  K 

9  c 

c  -s 

*-t 
• 

iT 
| 

Colchester. 

Morris. 

Mazon  creek. 

Other  localities. 

1 

3 

4 

1 

a 

1 

1 

93                            trifoliata    Brgt  

2 

94.                         abbreviata,  Lesqx  

1 

95  .                          elegans,  Brgt  

1 

96     Hymenophyllites  alatus,  Brgt  

1 

1 

2 

9*7.               "                 spinosus,   tiopp.  .  .  . 

9, 

98.                "                pinnatifidus,  Lesqx. 

3 

99.               "                 tridactylites,  Brgt.. 

1 

2 

100.                                  irichomanoides,  Bgt 

1 

101.                "                 imriophyllum,  Brgt 

1 

102.                                  Schlotheimii,  Brgt.  . 
103.               "                 delicatulus,  Brgi 

1 

.... 

1 
1 

.... 

104.                "                 tenuifolius,  Brgt... 

1 

105  .                                splendens,  Lesqx.  .  . 

6 

6 

106.               "                 furcatus,  Brgt  .... 

1 

1 

1  08  .                "                 inflatus,  Lesqx  .... 

2 

109.               "                adnascens,  LI.  &  Ht. 

2 

110.                '                lactuca,  Gutb  

2 

111.                                 arborescens,  Lesqx. 

1 

112.                                  Clark  i,  Lesqx  

8 

113.                                 Gutbierianus,  Presl. 

1 

114.                 '                thallyformis,  Lesqx. 

1 

1 

115                                   Strongii,  Lesqx.  .  .  . 

1 

91 

117.  Pachypteris  gracillima,  Lesqx  

2 

118.   Cordaites  borassifolia,  Ung  

2 

4 

?, 

2 

a 

119  .          "         angustifolia,  Lesqx  

6 

2 

1 

i 

120.   Sphenophyllum  Schlotheimii.  Brgt.  .  . 
121  .                              emarginatum,  Brgt.  .  . 
122.               "              filiculme,  Lesqx  

2 
2 

2 

4 

2 

6 

2 

2 
2 
] 

123.                "              cornutum,  Lesqx 

2 

1 

124.  Annularia  longifolia,  ?  Brgt  .          .... 

2 

125.            "         longifolia,  Brgt  

1 

1 

2 

2 

6 

126.            "         inflata,  Lesqx  

4 

127.           "         sphenophylloides,  Brgt.  .  .  . 

9, 

2 

3 

3 

128  .  Asterophyllites  rigidus,  Br>>t  

2 

2 

1 

130.                "             grandis,  LI.  and  Hutt 

3 

131.                             equisetiformis,  Brgt.  .  . 
1  32  .                              sublaevis,  Lesqx  

1 

.... 

1 

2 

1 
1 

133.                              lanceolatus  Lesqx.    .  . 

1 

134.                              ovalis,  Lesqx  

2 

135.                "             foliosu?,  LI.  and  Hutt 

4 

136.                "            tuberculatus,  Brgt.  .  .  . 

2 

1 

138.   Calamites  Suckowii,  Brgt  

2 

and  Carmi  abundant 

139.            "         ramosus,  Brgt  

1 

2 

2 

2 

1 

1 

2 

141  .             '         nodosus,  Brgt  

2 

1 

142  .             '         Cistii,  Brgt  

1 

and  Grayville 

143.             '         pachyderma,  Brgt  

9 

144  .             '         bistriatus,  Lesqx  

9 

—60 

474 


PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


LIST  OF  FOSSIL  PLANTS. 

« 

1 
o 

5' 

g 
o-  c 

O  1 

2  'o 
o  &• 
c  *<i 

CR  t» 

cr  ' 

Colchester..  . 

t 

Of 

Mazon  creek. 

1 

1 

2 

1 

146  .           "         undulatus,  Brgt  

1 

1 

2 

149.           "          carifolius,  Lesqx  

1 

150.           "         crassus,  Lesqx  

2 

151  .   Lycopodites  annulariasfolius,  Lesqx.  . 

1 

1 

153.           "           asterophyllitsBfolius,  Lesq. 

1 

1  54  .   Schutzia  bracteata,  Lesqx  

1 

1 

156               "               Morrisianum,  Lesqx.  . 

1 

157.            "               forulatum,  Lesqx.   ... 

1 

158.              "               Tijoui,  Lesqx  

2 

159.             "               diplotegioides,  Lesqx.  . 

1 

160.             "               Worthenii,  Lesqx.... 

?, 

161.             "               turbinatum,  Lesqx..  .. 

1 

2 

166.              "               modulatum,  Lesqx.... 

1 

1 

167.             "              clypeatum,  Lesqx  

168.              "               rugosurn,  Brgt  

169               "               obovatum,   Sternb  .  .  . 

3 

3 

1 

170.             "              gracile  &  elegans,  Brgt 

3 

4 

1 

171-              "               Velthehnianum,  Stern. 

172.              "               dichotomum,  Sternb.. 

2 

173.                              inammillatum,  Lesqx. 

2 

1 

176.   Ulodendron  majus,  LI.  and  Ilutt 

1 

4 

177.           "           ellipticum,  LI  andHutt.. 

.... 

.... 

3 

4' 

2 

.... 

180.  Lepidophloios  ?  auriculatum,  Lesqx. 

2 

8 

182                                protuberans,  Lesqx... 

2 

183.              "                obcordatum,  Lesqx.  .. 

1 

1 

184  .  Lepidostrobus  species  

1 

185  .             '"             princeps,  Lesqx  

4 

.... 

1 

1 

2 

187                             oblongifolius,  Lesqx.  . 

2 

1 

189.                            lancifolius,  Lesqx  ... 

1 

1 

191.             "            connivens,  Lesqx  

1 

192.              "             ornatus,  Brgt  

1 

193.   Lepidophyllum  lanceolatum,  Brgt  

2 

1 

2 

195.                               auriculatum,  Lesqx  .. 
196.                               rostellatum,  Lesqx 

2 

1 

1 

197.                                striatum,  Lesqx 

1 

1 

1 

199.  Knorria  imbricata,  Sternb  and  Go  pp. 

200.          "       Selloni,  Sternb  

2 

201  .   Sigillaria  monostignia,  Lesqx  

3 

1 

202.         "         sculpta,  Lesqx... 

1 

Other  localities. 


and  Carmi, 
Grayville. 


Carol's  place, 
Chester  group. 


Rock  Island. 
Little  Vermilion, 
and  Rock  Island. 

Chester  group. 


Mercer  county. 


Vermilion  co.,  Ind. 


and  Neelyville. 


Chester  group. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS. 


475 


• 

LIST  OF  FOSSIL  PLANTS. 

Duquoin  .  .  . 

?r 
it 

N?     03 

Colchester.  . 

£ 

3. 

55° 

Mazon  creek. 

Other  localities. 

1 

Carmi. 

u 

Marseilles,  111. 
!Jig  Vermilion. 

9 
9 

jallatin  county. 
Grayville. 
Alton. 

Chester  group. 

Chester  group. 

Carmi,  White  co. 
Fulton  county. 

[co.  ,  Ind. 
Eugene,  Vermilion 

Grayville. 
Grayville. 

1 

1 

212                      Cistii    Brgt     

1 

213     Syringodendron  pachyderma  Brgt  . 

1 

1 

220  •   Stigniaria  ficoides    Brgt  ... 

2 
1 

2 

6 

6 
2 

2 

8 

2 
1 
1 

2 
1 
1 
1 

1 

231  .   Pinnularia  capillacea,  LI.  and  Hutt  .  . 

2 

2 

4 

4 

2 

1 

1 

6 

4 

.... 

8 

2 

.... 

239  .  Trigonocarpum  Noeggerathii,  LI.  &  Ht. 
240-               "              olivEeformis,  LI.  &  Ht  . 

1 

242.              "             rostellatum    Lesqx... 

.... 

1 
1 
1 
1 

244.              "              mammillatus  Lesqx... 

245  .  Carpolithes  multi-striatus,  Sternb  .  .  . 

8 

3 

246-             "        Jacksonensis  Lesqx  

2 

247  •             "        cistula  Lesqx    

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

l' 
1 

2 
1 
i 

252.              "        bullatus  Lesqx  

1 

245.           "          appendiculata,  Lesqx  

256.           •'          corrueata,  Lesax.  .  . 

476  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

This  table  enumerates  256  species  of  fossil  plants,  or  more  than  double  the 
number  of  those  which  were  known  from  Illinois  at'the  time  when  the  second 
volume  of  the  State  Geological  Report  was  published.  The  catalogue  of  the 
American  fossil  plants  which  served  as  a  point  of  comparison  for  the  table  pre- 
pared for  that  volume,  p.  464,  enumerates  280  species,  (120  from  Illinois)  even 
comprising  some  pertaining  to  the  Devonian  strata.  It  is,  therefore,  evident 
that  the  assertion,  concerning  the  insufficiency  of  our  knowledge  of  the  flora 
of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois  and  of  the  future  discoveries  promised  to  con- 
tinued researches,  is  fully  corroborated  by  facts.  Of  the  recently  discovered 
species,  seventy-nine  are  considered  as  new,  and  forty,  though  known  already 
from  Europe,  had  not  been  recognized  before  in  our  American  Coal  Measures. 

The  species  marked  in  the  table  as  from  Morris  and  from  Mazon  creek,  are 
from  the  same  geological  horizon.  The  bed  of  shale  overlaying  the  coal  at 
Morris  covers,  apparently,  the  whole  extent  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Grundy 
county.  At  Morris,  this  shale  contains  but  few  nodules  or  concretions,  while 
at  Mazon  creek  these  nodules  are  found  quite  abundant,  having  been  washed 
from  the  shales  into  the  bed  of  the  creek.  The  two  localities  are  separated  in 
the  table  merely  to  indicate  the  proportion  of  species  preserved  in  shale  or  in 
concretions,  and  to  show  the  difference  in  the  nature  of  the  fossil  remains. 
About  180  of  the  species  enumerated  in  the  table  have  been  found  at  Morris 
and  Mazon  creek.  This  remarkable  predominance  is  due  to  peculiar  circum- 
stances : 

1st.  It  is  at  and  around  Morris  that  an  uninterrupted  series  of  researches  has 
been  pursued  by  the  two  ardent  and  clever  investigators,  Messrs.  Jos.  Even 
and  S.  S.  Strong,  so  often  named  in  this  Report.  Researches  of  this  kind,  in 
which  the  miners  often  become  interested  and  afford  valuable  assistance,  offer 
the  best  chances  to  make  new  discoveries.  They  also  enable  the  observer  to 
obtain,  when  still  in  place  and  before  the  fragments  are  scattered,  specimens 
of  the  different  parts  of  a  plant ;  to  compare  the  different  organs,  or  the  same 
organs  in  different  positions,  and  thus  to  become  better  acquainted  with  the 
true  nature,  and  with  the  variations  of  forms  of  the  same  vegetable. 

2d.  In  the  shale  of  Morris,  there  is  not  only  a  great  abundance  of  remains 
of  plants,  but  the  coal  which  it  covers  is  opened  either  by  snafts,  or  by  drifting 
at  numerous  and  distant  places,  and  therefore  the  flora  is  exposed  in  its  local 
varieties.  The  distribution  of  plants  in  the  coal  epoch  was  evidently  governed 
by  the  same  laws  as  is  now  the  vegetation  of  our  swamps.  There  was  a  gen- 
eral uniformity  of  species,  with  a  constant  diversity  of  groups  on  small  areas- 
As  we  see  now  in  the  peat  bogs,  here  the  ferns,  there  the  grasses,  or  the  rushes 
or  the  mosses,  according  to  the  degree  of  humidity  of  the  surface,  which  varies 
at  every  step,  we  find,  in  examining  the  fossil  plants  of  a  given  area,  a  eon- 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  477 

stant  recurrence  of  the  same  species  at  the  same  place,  and  a  diversity  only  at 
a  distance  in  various  directions. 

At  Mazon  creek,  the  meanders  of  the  stream  have  dug  a  broad  bed  through 
the  same  bank  of  shale,  and  the  water,  washing  for  centuries,  has  uncovered 
great  numbers  of  concretions  and  scattered  them  for  miles  from  their  point  of 
origin.  As  a  whole,  therefore,  the  concretions  represent  the  characters  of  the 
flora  of  a  large  area.  No  other  place  in  the  Illinois  coal  field  has  afforded  the 
same  advantages  for  research. 

The  shales  al  Colchester,  Murphysborough  and  St.  Johns,  are  rich  in  vege- 
table remains;  but  little  has  been  done  there  in  the  way  of  collecting  speci- 
mens of  fossil  plants,  except  by  the  assistants  in  the  Survey.  And  from  the 
above  remarks  it  is  easy  to  understand  that  researches  made  in  passing,  or  re- 
maining at  a  place  only  for  a  short  time,  are  far  from  affording  the  chances  of 
valuable  discoveries.  It  is,  therefore,  very  probable,  that  these  last  named  locali- 
ties have  still  in  reservation  a  good  many  species  of  coal  plants  which  are  now 
unknown  to  us,  and  that  the  fossil  flora  of  Illinois  is  far  from  being  fully 
known  at  the  present  time. 

The  Report  on  the  Flora  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois  should  have  been 
closed  here,  but  for  the  recent  publication  of  a  remarkable  work  on  vegetable 
palaeontology.  (1)  Among  other  matters  of  general  interest,  this  work  is  pre- 
faced by  some  discussions  on  the  cause  and  nature  of  phenomena  attending  the 
preservation  or  fossilization  of  vegetable  remains.  It  also  describes  and  critically 
reviews  most  of  our  new  species  published  in  the  2d  vol.  of  the  Ills.  Geol.  Re- 
port. This,  of  course,  is  a  reason  for  considering,  from  American  observations, 
some  well  established  facts  which  corroborate  or  invalidate  the  conclusions  of 
the  celebrated  author.  It  also  provokes  a  discussion  on  the  value  of  some  of 
our  species,  and  on  their  affinity  with  the  flora  of  the  Carboniferous  Measures 
of  Europe.  And  further,  it  now  becomes  of  importance  to  review  the  conclu- 
sions which  have  already,  or  should  be  hereafter  drawn,  on  the  geographical 
and  stratigraphical  distribution  of  our  species  of  fossil  plants  in  relation  to  geol- 
ogy, and  to  fix  some  reliable  points  of  reference  for  future  researches  on  the 
subject. 

(1)  Traite  de  Paleontologie  vegetale  par  W.  Ph.  Schimper.     Paris,  Bailliere  &  fils,  1869. 


478  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

MODE  OF  PRESERVATION  OF  VEGETABLE  REMAINS  IN 
OUR  AMERICAN  COAL  MEASURES, 


§  IST.    REMAINS  OF  PLANTS  IN  COAL. 

It  has  been  erroneously  asserted  that  the  coal  itself  does  not  contain  any  re- 
cognizable vegetable  remains,  it  being  merely  a  mass  of  bitumen,  independent 
of  any  of  the  plants  which  are  found  in  the  shales  overlaying  or  underlaying 
it.  Our  bituminous  coal  is  generally  a  compound  of  supposed  layers  of  crys- 
talline matter,  about  one  eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  separated  by  a  thin 
coat  of  pulverulent  coal,  or  mineral  charcoal,  which  is  a  mere  compound  of  cel- 
lular tissue  and  of  vessels  of  plants.  (2) 

Generally,  this  agglomeration  of  broken  tissue  preserves  some  outline  by 
which  the  genera,  even  the  species  to  which  the  remains  belong,  can  be  recog- 
nized at  first  sight :  leaflets  of  ferns,  stems  of  Calamites,  bark  of  Stigmaria, 
Lepidodendron,  etc.  But  besides  this,  the  coal  itself,  though  more  rarely,  is 
marked  with  distinct  prints  of  the  plants  of  which  it  is  a  compound.  This 
case  is  especially  observable  in  a  kind  of  hard,  laminated,  flint  coal,  obtained  in 
Mercer  county  by  Mr.  H.  A.  Green,  which  bears  on  the  horizontal  surface  of 
its  crystalline  lamellae,  however  thin  they  maybe  cut,  the  outline  and  nervation 
of  leaves  and  branches  of  ferns,  and  other  vegetables  of  the  coal ;  and  these 
are  so  distinctly  marked,  that  the  most  delicate  parts  are  as  easily  identified 
as  those  of  plants  preserved  in  shales. 

The  great  abundance  of  these  remains  show  that  the  whole  mass  of  this  coal, 
which  is  true  coal  and  burns  freely,  is  a  compound  of  them.  In  the  cannel 
coal  which  has  been  formed  under  water  from  more  decomposed  vegetables, 
the  forms  are  more  rarely  recognizable.  Yet  the  cannel  coal  of  Breckenridge, 
Ky.,  is  marked  through  its  whole  mass  by  stems  and  leaves  of  Stigmaria  and 
Lepidodendron,  rendered  distinct  by  infiltration  of  sulphuret  of  iron.  Even 
in  the  anthracite  coal  of  Penna.,  whose  matter  has  been  subjected  to  heat  and 

(2)  This  fact  is  easily  ascertained  by  microscopical  examination.  Prof.  J.  W.  Dawson,  of 
Montreal,  has  closely  examined  this  charcoal,  and  published,  as  results  of  his  interesting  re- 
searches, numerous  forms  of  vessels  of  plants.  The  same  kind  of  researches  had  been 
already  pursued  by  Prof.  Goppert,  who  had  recognized,  in  this  pulverulent  coal,  remains  of 
plants  of  every  family  hitherto  kuown  to  occur  fossil  in  the  eoal.  (Quat.  Geol.  Jour.,  vol.  5,' 
mem.,  p.  17.) 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  479 

fused  to  cohesion  after  the  transformation  of  vegetable  matter  into  coal,  one 
can  easily  discover  an  abundance  of  remains  of  plants  whose  genera  and  even 
species  are  sometimes  recognizable.  These  facts,  which  cannot  be  overlooked, 
may  be  taken  into  account  in  examining  new  theories  in  relation  to  the  forma- 
tion of  coal. 


§  2.    VEGETABLE  REMAINS  PRESERVED  IN  SHALE. 

It  is  in  the  clay  or  silicious  shale  that  the  fragments  of  plants  of  the  coal 
epoch  have  been  more  generally  preserved.  When  a  bed  of  vegetable  matter 
heaped  for  the  formation  of  a  coal  has  begun  to  cease  its  growth,  its  top  indi- 
cates a  greater  scarcity  of  vegetable  remains,  mixed  with  a  larger  proportion  of 
earthy  or  clayey  matter.  The  coal  then  becomes  a  less  homogeneous  mass, 
easily  separating  in  layers  of  heaped  fragments  of  vegetable  and  foreign  mat- 
ter. By  and  by,  the  vegetation  becoming  scarcer  by  superabundance  of  water 
upon  the  surface  of  the  bogs,  the  clay  is  more  thickly  deposited,  and  the  vege- 
table remains,  more  rare  and  scattered,  are  more  distinct  and  more  easily  re- 
cognizable. When  preserved  in  that  way,  the  plants  or  their  fragments  have 
been  first  slowly  decomposed  and  softened  by  humidity,  and  then  more  or  less 
flattened  by  compression.  All  the  naturalists  who  have  examined  the  coal 
formations  are  well  acquainted  with  the  appearance  of  the  remains  found  in 
shale,  and  sometimes  admirably  preserved.  Generally,  the  woody  tissue  of  the 
plant  has  been  destroyed,  and  the  surface  of  the  stems  and  branches  only  are 
preserved  in  a  thin  coat  of  coaly  matter,  bearing  impressions  of  scars  of  the 
bark,  etc.  For  the  leaves,  the  coaly  matter  represents  the  whole  substance, 
and  for  the  ferns,  especially,  it  preserves  the  exact  form  of  the  vegetable  and  is 
marked  by  the  impression  of  veins  and  veinlets,  mostly  distinct  to  their  last 
divisions.  Some  leaves  of  a  coriaceous  texture  have  their  epidermis  hard- 
ened by  mineralization,  and  separable  from  the  shale  like  a  transparent  pelli- 
cle. It  can  then  be  easily  examined  under  the  microscope,  and  all  the  details 
of  structure  recognized.  It  is  especially  the  case  with  our  Dictyopteris  rubella 
of  Murphysborough,  as  also  with  the  leaves  of  Whittleseya  clcgans,  Newb.,  of 
Ohio.  Sometimes  the  leaves  of  Neuropteris  hirsuta  have  been  heaped  and 
compressed  together  in  such  quantity,  that  the  pinnules  are  separable  from 
each  other  as  a  carbonaceous  cuticle,  preserving  traces  of  the  primitive  or- 
ganism. 

The  shales,  according  to  the  amount  of  vegetable  matter  mixed  in  them, 
and  the  depth  at  which  they  have  been  formed  under  water,  are  of  a  more  or 
less  dark  color  ;  whitish  or  yellowish  when  of  fresh  water  origin,  and  with  few 
remains  of  plants  ;  black  and  generally  more  homogeneous  when  formed  in  deep 


480  PALEONTOLOGY  OP  ILLINOIS. 

water,  and  having  for  a  larger  proportion  of  their  compound,  broken  remains  of 
organized  beings.  In  this  case  the  remains  are  either  animal  or  vegetable 
mixed  together,  both  fragments  of  moluscs  and  fishes  with  fragments  of  plants 
recognizable  on  the  same  piece  of  shale,  or  mere  remains  of  animals  or  only 
plants.  These  various  appearances  are  easily  explained  in  considering  the  phe- 
nomena accompanying  the  formation  of  tha  coal  strata,  from  deposits  analo- 
gous to  those  of  our  existing  peat  bogs.  For  the  surface  of  these  bogs,  even 
in  our  time,  shows  the  same  differences  in  the  superposed  deposits,  according 
to  the  depth  and  chemical  compounds  of  the  water  by  which  they  become 
covered,  either  by  casual  inundation  in  the  interior  of  the  land,  or  by  slow  ini. 
mersion  near  the  borders  of  lakes  or  sea  shores.  Even  where  the  coal  and  shales, 
from  the  amount  of  remains  of  fishes  which  they  contain,  appear  to  have  been 
formed  in  water  of  a  certain  depth,  the  matter  always  bears  evident  traces  of 
its  origin  from  land  vegetation,  and  never  from  marine  plants.  The  lower  part 
of  a  bed  of  coal,  worked  near  the  mouth  of  Yellow  creek,  Ohio,  is  a  kind  of 
cannel  coal,  or  very  bituminous  compact  shale,  full  of  the  remains  of  fishes, 
whose  entire  skeletons  vary  in  length  from  one  inch  to  one  foot.  Yet  this  shale 
has  an  abundance  of  the  remains  of  land  plants  mixed  in  its  compound.  The 
same  case  is  observable  in  Kentucky — for  example,  at  Airdrie,  on  Green  river, 
where  the  upper  coal  (No.  11  of  the  Kentucky  section,)  is  overlaid  by  a  bitu- 
minous laminated  shale,  containing  teeth  of  large  fishes  with  trunks  of  Sigil- 
laria,  Lepidodendron,  etc.,  and  branches  and  leaves  of  ferns.  Those  who  have 
examined  our  immersed  peat  bogs  along  the  shores  of  New  Jersey,  have  seen 
in  activity  a  formation  of  the  same  kind,  where  logs  of  large  trees  are  fished 
from  a  depth  often  or  fifteen  feet,  out  of  beds  of  peat  submerged  in  water  deep 
enough  to  feed  a  variety  of  fishes  ;  while  here  and  there,  small  islands,  half  float- 
ing fragments  of  wood  or  heaps  of  mud,  are  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth 
of  ferns,  reeds  or  bushes,  which  throw  their  debris  to  the  surface,  to  be  con- 
veyed to  the  bottom  and  there  mixed  in  the  bed  of  rnud,  an  incipient  shale, 
with  animal  remains. 

Among  the  various  metamorphoses  to  which  remains  of  plants  have  been 
subjected  in  the  shale  by  compression,  decomposition  and  other  chemical  and 
mechanical  agencies,  one  peculiar  phenomenon  is  worth  noticing  here.  In  the 
shale  covering  the  bed  of  anthracite  of  Rhode  Island,  the  whole  carbonaceous 
matter  of  the  plants  has  been  destroyed  by  heat,  and  the  mere  skeleton  of  the 
leaves  and  other  remains  is  marked  upon  the  shale  as  a  more  or  less  distinct 
mould,  often  covered  by  a  whitish  incrustation  of  selenite.  In  this  process  of 
fusion,  the  vegetable  fragments  have  been  distorted  in  such  a  way  that  they 
often  present  an  appearance  far  different  from  that  of  the  species  to  which  they 
belong.  For  example,  in  some  branches  of  ferns,  the  leaflets  have  been,  on 
one  side  of  the  pinnae,  extended  to  double  their  original  length,  and  narrowed 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  481 

in  proportion,  while  on  the  other  side  they  have  been  relatively  contracted  and 
widened.  Without  an  examination  of  the  shale  at  Newport,  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  account  for  such  a  metamorphosis.  At  this  locality,  the  shales  present 
along  the  shore  a  series  of  low  undulations,  resembling  slightly  elevated  waves  ; 
and  there  one  can  see  that,  in  the  state  of  fusion  of  the  whole  mass,  the  re- 
mains of  plants,  following  the  force  of  upheaval,  have  been,  at  peculiar  places, 
drawn  upwards  and  therefore  elongated  on  one  side,  and  of  course  drawn  on 
the  other  towards  the  rachis.  It  is  peculiar  that  the  rachis  and  stems  do  not 
show  any  appearance  of  flexure  and  of  deformation,  and  it  is  remarkable  also 
that  the  same  phenomenon  of  dimorphism  is  not  observable  on  the  plants  found 
in  the  shale  of  the  anthracite  basin  of  Pennsylvania,  where  the  flexures  of  the 
veins  of  coal  are  often  abrupt,  and  where  traces  of  tortion  are  frequently  seen 
upon  fragments  of  the  combustible  mineral.  This  deformation  of  vegetable 
remains  may  give  an  idea  of  the  difficulties  encountered  by  the  palaeontologist 
in  studying,  as  he  has  to  do,  mere  fragments  of  plants  in  their  fossil  state.  Not 
only  do  these  remains  generally  insufficiently  represent  the  whole  vegetable, 
but  often  they  are  deformed  by  various  forces  and  influences,  to  which  they  are 
subjected  in  the  process  of  mineralization. 


§   3.     VEGETABLE   REMAINS   PRESERVED   IN   FERRUGINOUS 

CONCRETIONS. 

As  far  as  we  know,  from  the  specimens  abundantly  found  in  Illinois,  the 
mode  of  preservation  of  fossil  plants  in  concretions  is  somewhat  different  from 
what  it  is  in  argillaceous  shale.  These  concretions  are  found,  especially  in  the 
shale  of  Grundy  county,  irregularly  scattered  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  strata, 
in  the  form  of  oval,  more  or  less  elongated,  generally  slightly  flattened  concre- 
tions. They  appear  to  have  been  formed  by  superposition  of  concentric  layers 
of  slowly  deposited  carbonate  of  iron  or  ferruginous  clay  around  central  nu- 
clei, which  are  most  commonly  parts  of  plants,  bones  of  fishes  or  the  remains 
of  insects  and  Crustacea.  Their  size  and  form  vary  according  to  that  of  the 
body  around  which  the  deposit  has  been  made.  Some  small  leaflets  of  ferns  are 
found  in  nodules  which  are  not  larger  than  a  walnut ;  pieces  of  calamites  are  in- 
closed in  cylindrical  concretions  varying  in  length  from  two  inches  to  one  foot  or 
more  ;  pinnae  of  ferns  or  of  Asteropliyllites  have  been  discovered  in  flattened  con- 
cretions measuring  about  one  square  foot  and  only  two  inches  thick,  their  form 
agreeing  more  or  less  with  that  of  the  body  around  which  they  have  originated, 
though  always  showing  an  oval  or  round  outline,  by  superposition  of  concentric 
layers.  It  is  not  yet  clear  whether  the  flattening  of  some  of  the  specimens  is 
the  result  of  compression.  Generally,  the  nodules  which  have  cylindrical 
pieces  of  stems,  or  nutlets  for  nuclei,  are  round  or  exactly  oval,  while  they 
—61 


482  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF  ILLINOIS. 

are  flattened  for  pieces  of  ferns,  in  proportion  to  the  breadth  of  the  fragments 
which  they  have  entombed. 

The  origin  of  these  concretions  has  been  explained  in  admitting  a  general 
tendency  of  some  mineral  bodies  to  concentrate  around  centers,  whether  solidify- 
ing from  fusion,  solution  or  vapors.  (1)  This  explanation  may  be  satisfactory 
in  regard  to  other  kinds  of  concretions,  but  from  their  peculiar  position,  their 
form  and  size,  varying  according  to  the  nature  and  outline  of  the  bodies  which 
they  contain,  the  nodules  of  Mazon  creek  rather  seem  to  be  the  work  of  infu- 
soria or  Bacillaria  concentrating  molecules  of  iron  around  some  centers,  as  it 
now  happens  in  the  formation  of  the  bog  iron  ore,  or  in  other  deposits,  in 
springs  or  pools,  whose  waters  contain  a  solution  of  iron.  This  supposition  ap- 
pears confirmed  by  the  manner  in  which  the  bodies  in  concretions  have  been 
preserved  and  selected  for  preservation.  Though  generally  mere  fragments, 
their  integrity  is  complete,  and  yet  some  of  them  are  of  very  soft  texture. 
The  pinnae  or  leaflets  of  ferns  are  always  found  in  them  in  a  flattened  position, 
their  axis  or  rachis  extending  through  the  center  of  the  elongated  nodule,  with 
the  divisions  on  both  sides;  the  surface  of  the  pinnules,  slightly  swollen,  as 
when  in  their  living  state,  is  marked  by  recognizable  hairs  or  fruit  dots,  with 
distinct  veins  and  veinlets,  and  their  appendages,  like  the  scales,  are  seen  in 
the  various  modifications  which  they  present  in  living  specimens ;  for  example, 
long,  straight,  flat,  diverging,  on  primary  rachis,  and  becoming  shorter,  ruf- 
fled and  curled  on  their  upper  divisions.  The  small  organs  of  plants  appear, 
therefore,  in  a  better  state  of  preservation  than  in  the  shales.  With  small  ani- 
mals like  crustaceans,  scorpions,  insects  of  a  fleshy  and  very  delicate  texture, 
the  preservation  of  form  is  still  more  remarkable.  They  are  found  entombed 
in  the  middle  of  the  nodules  just  as  if  they  were  in  life,  or  as  if  they  had  been 
transformed  into  stone  while  still  living.  The  fruits  or  nutlets  are  not  flat- 
tened. By  the  section  of  the  nodules,  which  generally  break  into  two  equal 
halves  by  hard  strokes  on  their  edges,  the  middle  and  internal  part  of  the  fruit 
is  exposed  to  view,  while  the  outside  surface  is  immersed  in  the  stone.  The 
numerous  cones  also  of  Lepidodendron  found  in  these  concretions  are  equally 
well  preserved,  either  whole  or  in  part,  by  horizontal  cross  sections.  Some 
specimens  not  only  show  distinctly  the  pedicels  of  the  sporanges  and  the  blades 
in  their  natural  position,  but  even  sporanges  with  their  seeds  have  been  found 
in  them,  without  perceptible  alteration.  In  the  cross  section  of  these  Lepidos- 
trobi  the  sporange  cells  form  a  central  row,  which  is  surrounded  by  the  blades 
in  the  form  of  a  star. 

Peculiar  species  of  plants  and  animals,  or  their  fragments,  seem  to  have 
been  selected  as  the  nuclei  of  these  nodules.  They  contain,  for  example,  an 

(1)  Dana's  Manual  of  Geology,  p.  626. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS  483 

abundance  of  leaflets  of  various  species  of  Neuropteris,  especially  2f.  hirsuta, 
of  Alethopteris  Serlii,  of  Pecopteris  villosa,  P.  abbreviates,  Hymenophyllites  Clarkii, 
Annularia  longifolia,  Stigmarioides,  etc.,  which  are  either  rare  or  have  not  yet 
been  found  in  the  shale  at  Morris,  while  these  shales  are  rich  in  the  remains  of 
Odontopteris  Schlotheimii,  Alethopteris  erosa,  Ulodendron,  Oarpolithes  multistriatus, 
scarcely  or  not  at  all  preserved  in  concretions.  As  the  bank  of  shale  border- 
ing the  bed  of  Mazon  creek  has  not  yet  been  opened,  these  differences  may  re- 
sult from  geographical  distribution.  Yet,  as  the  animals  and  plants  of  soft 
exture,  like  the  species  of  the  genus  Sigillarioides,  have  not  yet  been  found  in 
the  shale  of  our  American  Coal  Measures,  it  is  evident  that  these  remains  have 
been  generally  destroyed  by  maceration,  and  only  escaped  total  destruction  by 
their  entombment  in  these  nodules.  The  same  can  be  remarked  on  the  re- 
mains of  small  animals.  The  remains  of  fishes  found  in  these  concretions  are 
merely  bones,  scales  and  coprolites,  while  of  molluscs,  they  have  afforded  only 
some  agglomerations  or  very  small  shells. 


§  4.     VEGETABLE    REMAINS    PRESERVED    BY    MINERALIZA- 
TION OR  TRUE  PETRIFICATION. 

This  kind  of  fossilization  is  performed  by  slow  infiltration  of  mineral  matter 
into  the  substance  of  the  vegetable,  when  in  a  soft  state  of  decomposition.  The 
phenomenon  is  produced  either  by  a  total  destruction  of  the  vegetable  substance , 
for  which  sand,  clay  or  oxyd  of  iron  is  substituted  by  infiltration,  or  by  a  slow, 
still  unexplained  mineralization  of  the  vegetable  substance,  by  silex  or  lime. 
By  the  first  process,  the  whole  texture  of  the  vegetable  is  destroyed,  except 
the  surface,  preserved  as  in  a  mould,  which  shows  the  original  outline  of  the 
vegetable,  and  bears  the  cicatrices  of  the  bark  and  other  external  characters, 
which  often  render  it  recognizable.  These  moulds,  generally  covered  by  a 
coat  of  coaly  matter,  are  rarely  flattened  by  compression,  and  mostly  represent 
trunks  or  branches  of  large  size,  sometimes  fruits  of  a  hard  consistence,  rarely 
branches  and  leaves  of  ferns.  They  abound  in  the  sandstone  beds  of  our 
Coal  Measures,  and  some  of  our  new  species  of  Lepidodendron  and  of  Sigillaria 
have  been  described  from  specimens  of  this  kind.  In  the  second  case  of  petri- 
fication,  on  the  contrary,  the  surface  or  outside  of  the  vegetables  is  generally 
obliterated,  as  if  it  had  been  more  or  less  decayed  while  subjected  to  minerali- 
zation, while  the  internal  structure  is  preserved  in  its  minutest  details,  and  so 
distinctly,  that  it  can  be  studied  under  the  microscope  when  lamellte  of  the 
fossils  are  detached,  and  polished  thin  enough  to  become  transparent.  Speci- 
mens of  wood  fossilized  in  this  way,  though  often  remarked  in  the  Carbonifer- 
ous formations  of  Europe,  and  very  common  in  the  more  recent  formations  of 


484  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

this  continent,  have  rarely  been  found  in  our  Coal  Measures,  and  none  as  yet 
have  been  obtained,  except  from  Southern  Ohio  and  Northern  Kentucky. 
Both  these  processes  of  fossilization  have  acted  upon  vegetables  already  separ- 
ated from  their  support,  and  more  or  less  decayed,  or  upon  trees  still  standing 
or  still  living,  when  they  were  surrounded  by  the  mineral  substances  which 
caused  their  petrification.  Though  not  quite  as  abundant  as  prostrated  fossil 
trunks,  petrified  standing  trees  are  not  unfrequently  obtained  from  the  sandstone 
of  our  Coal  Measures.  Near  New  Harmony,  Ind.,  some  petrified  trees,  vary- 
ing in  size  from  six  to  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  have  been  obtained  from  a 
sandy  shale,  and  transferred  to  his  museum  in  their  standing  position,  and 
with  their  roots  attached  to  the  trunks,  by  my  lamented  friend,  D.  D.  Owen. 
Though  entirely  metamorphosed  into  sandstone,  their  mould  preserves  remark- 
ably well  the  scars  of  the  point  of  attachment  of  the  leaves,  the  wrinkles  of 
the  bark,  etc.,  and  show  the  gradual  variations  which  modify  the  form  of  the 
cicatrices  in  passing  from  the  stem  to  the  roots.  True  petrified  forests  have 
been  observed  in  banks  of  sandstone  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Pennsylvania  and 
of  Kentucky.  This  phenomenon  should,  therefore,  demand  but  a  passing 
notice,  if  it  did  not  give  rise  to  some  discussions  concerning  the  mode  and 
cause  of  dislocation  or  fracture  of  these  fossil  trees,  and  also  concerning  the 
causes  and  agents  of  their  petrification. 

Fossil  trees,  except  when  observed  in  their  standing  position,  still  half  in- 
closed and  sustained  in  the  matter  in  which  they  hjave  been  originally  buried, 
are  always  found  in  pieces  or  broken.  This  is  observable  as  well  in  the  fossil 
wood  of  the  Carboniferous  measures  as  in  that  so  abundantly  found  in  more 
recent  formations ;  for  example,  in  the  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  beds  of  our  con- 
tinent. The  fracture  of  the  pieces  is  of  two  kinds :  either  irregular,  in  vari- 
ous directions,  like  the  breaking  of  mineral  substances  produced  by  hard  strokes, 
or  horizontal,  as  if  by  a  kind  of  cleavage,  the  separate  pieces  forming  disks  or 
regular  cylinders  of  various  length.  Generally,  in  both  cases  the  fractured  sur- 
face is  clean,  smooth,  distinctly  angular,  and  showing  that  in  most  cases,  at 
least,  the  breaking  of  the  trunks  has  been  effected  after  the  fossilization.  Prof. 
Groppert,  who  has  visited  the  fossilized  forests  of  Egypt,  south  of  Cairo,  and 
has  published  the  result  of  his  researches*,  has  found  there  the  trunks  subjec- 
ted to  a  kind  of  multiple  fracture,  produced  at  various  times  and  in  various 
ways  ;  some  of  the  trunks  having  their  fractured  surfaces  obliterated  as  if  by 
decay,  others  showing  on  their  fragments,  still  closely  approached  to  each  oth- 
er, evidence  of  recent  separation.  He  therefore  explains  their  fracture  as  due 
to  mere  atmospheric  influences,  especially  to  sudden  changes  of  temperature, 
which  are  not  rare  in  those  regions.  This  explanation  could  be  admitted  for 

*Der  Versteinerte  Wald  by  Cairo,  &c. ;  Acad.  der  Weiss:  zu  Wien.  vol.  38,  1858. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  485 

the  irregular  fragments  of  silicified  wood,  found  in  connection  with  our  recent 
formations,  and  which,  in  some  countries — in  Arkansas  and  Mississippi,  for  ex- 
ample— are  in  some  places  strewn  upon  the  ground  in  profusion.  Agglom- 
erations of  silex  are  rarely  homogeneous  or  regularly  compact  throughout. 
They  are  interspersed  with  fissures  or  soft  veins  which,  when  penetrated  by  water, 
expand  under  the  influence  of  frost,  and  determine  fractures  in  various  direc- 
tions. But  fossil  wood  broken  in  that  way  is  rarely  found  in  our  Carboniferous 
measures.  Generally,  the  fossil  trees  of  this  formation,  when  separated  from 
the  mineral  substances  in  which  they  were  originally  imbedded  and  petrified, 
show  the  fracture  by  horizontal  divisions,  as  by  cleavage,  and  when  in  a  stand- 
ing position,  and  taken  out  of  the  matter  which  surrounds  them,  they  separate 
in  disks  of  various  lengths,  and  can  thus  be  taken  out  in  pieces,  which  super- 
posed afterwards  rebuild  the  whole  trunk,  without  marks  of  any  other  mode  of 
disconnection,  but  horizontal  through  fissures.  In  that  way  the  different  parts 
of  the  trees  mentioned  above,  as  found  by  Dr.  D.  D.  Owen,  have  been  taken 
out  of  the  sandstone  separately  and  replaced  in  their  order  of  superposition,  to 
rebuild  the  vegetable  in  its  original  position.  AtCarbondale,  in  Pennsylvania, 
a  true  forest  of  Catamites  has  been  crossed  in  the  opening  of  an  inclined  tun- 
nel through  a  bank  of  sandstone  to  a  bed  of  coal  underlying  it.  The  fragments 
of  petrified  stems  taken  out  of  this  passage  are  in  such  abundance  that  they 
have  been  used  for  the  construction  of  a  kind  of  gangway  for  running  the  coal 
cars  out  of  the  mines.  These  fragments,  nearly  without  exception,  are  mere 
disks,  varying  in  length  from  one  to  four  inches,  without  relation  to  the  size 
or  diameter  of  the  stems,  which  measure  from  three  to  six  inches;  the  differences 
in  the  length  of  the  sections  being  as  marked  for  the  large  as  for  the  small 
stems.  All  these  fragments  represent  only  as  far,  at  least,  as  I  could  determine 
from  the  examination  of  hundreds  of  specimens,  two  species  of  Calamites : 
G.  SucJcowii  and  G.  approximatus,  Brgt.  The  walls  of  the  tunnel  are  adorned 
by  a  number  of  these  trees,  still  in  their  standing  position  and  half  imbedded 
in  the  sandstone.  Though  these  stems  are  continuous,  they  show,  at  various 
and  irregular  distances,  horizontal  fractures  where  they  break  or  are  dislocated 
at  their  separation  from  the  surrounding  sandstone.  Some  of  these  trunks  of 
Calamites,  which  in  their  natural  state  were  evidently  hollow,  have  been 
abruptly  folded  or  crushed,  like  hollow  cylinders  in  bending  under  their  own 
weight,  or  by  some  external  force;  but  even  at  the  point  of  inclination  or  tor- 
tion  of  these  stems,  the  fracture  is  horizontal  or  perpendicular  to  their  erect 
position.  At  Paintsville,  Johnson  county,  Kentucky,  the  bottom  of  the  river, 
which  at  some  places  has  been  cleanly  washed,  is  marked,  as  in  a  kind  of  irregu- 
lar mosaic  work,  by  the  broken  tops  of  large  trunks  of  Sigillaria,  still  in  their 
original  standing  position,  all  horizontally  fractured.  One  of  these  trunks 
measures  twenty-two  inches  in  diameter.  The  same  peculiar  kind  of  horizontal 


486  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

fracture  is  generally  observable  on  the  silicified  trunks  so  abundantly  found  in 
some  parts  of  Southern  Ohio,  especially  in  the  bed  of  Shade  river,  near  Athens. 
They  are,  most  of  them,  pieces  of  stems  of  fern  trees  (Psaronius),  varying  in 
diameter  from '  three  to  twelve  inches,  broken  in  disks  from  two  to  fourteen 
inches  long.  A  few  of  these  pieces  of  silicified  wood  are  irregularly  broken 
and  disfigured  on  the  outside  by  maceration  ;  but  generally  they  preserve  their 
cylindrical  form,  and  when  of  some  length  show  here  and  there,  at  various  dis- 
tances, horizontal  splits,  uninterrupted  all  around  the  trunk,  where  a  disruption 
is  easily  produced  by  a  hard  stroke.  From  the  great  bed  of  sandstone  overly- 
ing the  Pittsburg  coal,  near  Grreensburg,  I  have  received,  from  Rev.  W.  D. 
Moore,  large  specimens  of  fossil  wood,  most  of  them  long,  irregularly  broken, 
much  decayed  pieces,  evidently  representing  sections  of  trunks  broken  length- 
wise. These  were  found  in  various  positions  in  the  sandstone,  and  were  mostly 
broken  before  they  were  imbedded  in  it.  But  among  them  there  is  one  which 
bears,  attached  to  a  short  stem,  three  diverging  branches  of  its  roots,  a  proof 
that  it  has  been  buried  in  its  original  standing  position ;  and  this  one  has  its 
top  horizontally  broken  and  flat. 

From  these  data  and  a  number  of  others,  which  it  is  useless  to  mention,  being 
all  of  the  same  kind,  and  bearing  the  same  evidence,  it  appears  that  the  frac- 
ture of  the  fossil  wood  is  of  two  kinds  :  irregular,  for  trunks  fossilized  after 
prostration  or  in  a  decaying  state,  as  they  are  generally  found  in  our  Tertiary 
and  Cretaceous  strata ;  and  horizontal,  by  splits  perpendicular  to  the  natural 
direction  of  the  stems  and  the  roots.  If  the  cause  of  fracture  in  the  first  case 
is,  without  doubt,  essentially  due  to  atmospheric  agency,  that  of  the  second, 
which  has  acted  upon  the  vegetable  while  it  was  still  subjected  to  the  process 
of  petrification,  is  certainly  different,  and  can  be  explained,  I  think,  by  the 
difference  of  density  of  both  the  surrounding  mineral  matter  and  the  imbedded 
vegetable.  Evidently,  all  the  stems  in  the  process  of  fossilization  have  been 
subjected  to  a  softening  process  of  their  whole  mass.  The  outside  pressure  of 
the  surrounding  mineral  matter  must  have  been  felt,  and  can  have  acted  only 
in  one  way,  that  is,  vertically,  as  it  happens  in  the  forcing  of  a  body  of  less 
density  out  of  water ;  and  the  result  of  that  action  cannot  but  have  been  a  ten- 
dency to  dislocation,  and  therefore  to  splitting  of  the  trunks  in  a  horizontal 
direction.  It  might  be  supposed,  perhaps,  that  a  gradual  accumulation  of  sand 
or  other  mineral  matter  around  standing  trees,  in  burying  them,  has  formed 
layers  of  different  density,  whose  action  may  have  produced,  in  the  fossil  vege- 
table, zones  of  petrification  also  varying  in  density,  tending,  therefore  to  cleave 
from  each  other,  and  horizontally  separable.  But  the  roots  of  fossilized  trees 
which  tend  downwards  in  an  inclined  direction,  or  even  are  nearly  horizontal, 
should  be  split  in  an  inclined  plane  and  not  perpendicularly  to  their  axis,  as 
they  are,  at  least,  on  all  the  roots  of  standing  trees  which  I  have  had  opportu- 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  487 

nity  to  examine.  Moreover,  the  silicified  stems  which  have  been  noticed 
above  as  marked  by  horizontal  splits,  are  of  the  same  compound  in  their  whole 
length. 

The  silicified  wood  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Ohio,  as  that  also  of  more  recent 
formations  of  our  continent,  furnish  us  some  valuable  data  for  the  examination 
of  another  vexed  question  :  concerning  their  mode  of  fossil ization,  or  rather  the 
origin  of  the  silica  which  has  produced  their  transformation.  Two  opinions, 
above  all,  have  been  advanced  on  this  subject.  Prof.  Goppert  thinks  that  the 
process  of  petrification  has  been  very  slow,  of  long  duration,  and  that  to  explain 
it,  it  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that  the  water  in  which  the  vegetable  sub- 
stance has  been  transformed,  was  richer  in  silica  than  it  may  be  now  in  its 
normal  state.  Prof.  Schimper,  on  the  contrary,  asserts  that  the  water  in  which 
wood  has  been  silicified  should  have  been  of  a  higher  temperature,  more  abun- 
dantly saturated  with  silica,  and  therefore,  he  concludes  that  the  kind  of  min- 
eralization has  happened  in  a  much  shorter  time  than  is  generally  supposed, 
and  by  volcanic  agency,  as  is  now  the  case  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Geysers  of 
Iceland.  (1)  To  sustain  this  assertion,  the  celebrated  professor  says  :  that  the 
progress  of  the  fossilizing  process  should  have  been  rapid  enough  to  reach  the 
whole  substance  of  the  wood  before  its  decomposition  by  putrifaction.  But 
the  woody  tissue,  when  entombed  and  protected  against  atmospheric  influence, 
is  unalterable  for  a  considerable  period  of  time,  and  slowly  passes,  by  emere- 
causis,  into  coal.  It  is,  therefore,  conceivable  that  in  the  first  stage  of  this 
slow  burning,  when  the  whole  vegetable  has  been  reduced  to  a  soft  matter,  it 
may  be  penetrated  by  mineral  fluids  which,  by  crystallization,  transform  it  into 
stone.  In  the  valley  of  Locle,  Switzerland,  large  prostrate  trunks,  more  than 
fifty  feet  long,  were  discovered  some  years  ago  in  a  bed  of  sandy  clay  of  the 
upper  Tertiary.  These  trees,  most  of  them  Dicotyledonous,  had  their  bark 
still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  their  woody  tissue  admirably  preserved, 
and  looked  indeed  as  if  they  had  been  recently  buried.  Yet  their  wood  was 
soft  enough  to  be  cut  through  with  the  knife  without  effort,  like  butter.  Beds 
of  lignites,  in  Germany,  where  the  emerecausis  is  in  a  more  advanced  stage, 
contains  large  trunks  of  wood,  softened  in  the  same  degree,  and  already  black- 
ened. In  that  state,  the  woody  tissues  are  easily  impregnated  by  dissolved  min- 
eral substances.  But  to  omit  theoretical  discussion  and  merely  consider  facts 
observable  around  us,  it  is  evident  that  our  silicified  wood,  as  well  in  our  Coal 
Measures  as  in  the  more  recent  formations,  is  found  in  connection  with  strata 
which  show  no  trace  of  volcanic  agency.  The  silicified  trunks  of  Southern 
Ohio  have  been  washed  out  by  the  creeks  from  the  Mahoning  sandstone.  The 
area  covered  by  this  formation,  and  over  which  the  trunks  are  found  in  greater 

(1)  Traite  de  Pal.  Veget.,  p.  38  and  39. 


488  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

cr  smaller  quantity,  extends  from  Athens  southward,  to  the  Ohio  river,  and  in 
Virginia,  as  far  up  the  Great  Kenawha  river  as  Charleston,  or  about  one  hun- 
dred miles  in  a  direct  line.  There  is  no  trace  of  any  volcanic  agency  in  that 
country.  No  distubance  of  any  kind  is  observable  in  the  strata,  which  have 
their  normal,  slightly-marked  dip  to  the  eastward;  nor  does  the  sandstone  it- 
self indicate,  in  its  appearance,  by  a  variation  of  its  compounds  or  of  its  density, 
any  trace  of  metamorphism.  At  Gallipolis,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Ken- 
awha, a  number  of  fossilized  trunks,  still  buried  in  the  sandstone,  are  seen 
protruding  from  the  bank,  in  which  they  have  been  petrified  in  a  prostrate 
position.  As  these  trees  have  been  examined  already  by  "other  geologists,  and 
mentioned  as  indicating  a  peculiar  direction  of  a  current,  by  which  they  have 
been  brought  and  deposited,  a  short  account  of  them  here  may  not  be  uninter- 
esting. There  are  five  of  them,  from  four  to  fifteen  inches  in  diameter,  their 
length  unknown,  lying,  two  in  a  southeastern  direction,  one  due  east,  and  the 
two  others  due  south.  The  part  seen  out  of  the  sandstone  is  much  decayed, 
the  outer  surface,  where  it  is  preserved,  is  covered  by  a  coat  of  coal  varying  in 
thickness  from  one-half  to  one-fourth  of  an  inch.  What  is  most  remarkable, 
and  bears  directly  on  the  question  of  their  petrification,  is  that  they  appear  to 
have  been  transformed  into  stone  by  different  substances,  showing  a  different 
kind  of  mineralization.  In  one  of  these  trees  the  internal  texture  has  been 
destroyed,  and  the  woody  tissue  is  replaced  by  a  hard  calcareous  sandstone  or 
clay,  separating  in  layers  of  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  A  second 
is  a  compound  of  small  crystals  of  iron  flint,  its  interior  being  perforated 
lengthwise  by  a  number  of  irregularly  placed  cylindrical  apertures,  filled  with 
small  iron  crystals,  forming  regular  stars  of  more  than  twenty  rays.  A  third, 
of  which  I  have  obtained  large  pieces,  it  being  of  smaller  size,  four  inches  in 
diameter,  is  transformed  into  a  compact,  opaque,  black  silex,  which  does  not 
preserve  any  trace  of  organic  structure.  (1)  As  these  trees,  of  course,  have 
been  petrified  where  they  are  found  now,  it  would  appear  as  if  different  min- 
eral substances,  held  in  solution  in  the  water,  had  acted  upon  the  woody  tissue 
in  different  ways,  according  to  its  nature.  In  any  case,  it  is  evident  that  the 
petrification  has  been  performed  in  various  ways,  by  the  slow  action  of  the 
liquids  penetrating  the  sand,  and  not  by  the  uniform  crystallization  of  silica  as 
it  is  now  produced  in  the  hot  springs  of  volcanic  origin:  This  is  more  evi- 
dent, in  considering  silicified  wood  of  our  more  recent  formations.  Neither  in 
the  plains  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  nor  in  Eastern  Arkansas,  nor  in  Missis- 

(1)  It  is  marked  by  inflated  articulations,  like  a  species  of  Anarlhrocanna,  Gopp.,  and 
is  as  yet  the  only  specimen  found  in  our  Coal  Measures  which  might  be  compared  to  the 
trunks  seen  by  Prof.  Brongniart  in  the  coal  mines  of  St.  Etienne,  France,  and  compared  to 
Bamboos,  from  their  inflated  articulations.  (Lyell.  Manual,  4th  ed.,  p.  319.) 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  489 

sippi  and  Ohio,  where  fossilized  wood  is  found  generally  associated  with  a  fer- 
ruginous argillaceous  sandstone,  is  there  any  trace  of  volcanic  agency.  There 
is  merely  an  evident  relation  of  this  kind  of  fossilization  with  the  deposition  of 
iron.  In  Ohio  and  Virginia,  that  part  of  the  Mahonmg  sandstone  containing 
silicified  trunks,  borders,  and  perhaps  overlays  in  part,  the  area  where  the 
richest  and  most  numerous  beds  of  iron  ore  have  been  deposited.  In  the  re- 
cent formations,  the  fossilized  wood  is  generally  associated  with  the  red  or  fer- 
ruginous clay.  Even  in  the  small  area  occupied  by  our  Post  Tertiary  forma- 
tion at  Barlow,  Ohio,  disks  of  silicified  fossil  wood  of  dicotyledonous  species 
are  found  in  a  bed  of  red  ferruginous  clay,  associated  with  species  of  shells  of 
the  genus  Anodonta,  entirely  transformed  into  a  compact  mass  of  oxyd  of  iron. 


§  5.     THE    FLORA  OF  THE   CARBONIFEROUS   MEASURES   OF 
ILLINOIS,  CONSIDERED  IN  SOME  OF  ITS  AFFINITIES. 

As  a  whole,  the  coal  flora  of  Illinois  has,  like  that  of  our  American  Coal 
Measures,  the  general  character  of  the  Carboniferous  flora  of  the  whole  world. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  representatives  of  this  flora  mostly  pertain  to  a  single 
class  of  vegetables :  that  of  the  acrogenous  or  vascular  cryptogamous  plants, 
containing  the  three  families  of  Equisetacese,  FUices  and  Lycopodiacese.  The 
.nodules  of  Mazon  creek,  where  fragments  of  plants,  even  of  the  softest  texture, 
have  been  preserved  in  their  integrity,  offered  a  good  opportunity  for  examin- 
ing the  often  proposed  question  :  whether  plants  of  a  lower  or  of  a  higher  order 
than  those  could  not  have  entered  into  the  compound  of  the  coal,  and,  from  a 
peculiar  consistance  of  tissue,  have  been  destroyed  by  maceration,  without*  leav- 
ing any  traces  of  their  primitive  forms.  This  has  been  affirmed,  for  example, 
of  the  Algsp,  or  marine  plants,  which  have  left  their  remains  in  abundance  in 
the  Lower  Carboniferous  and  Devonian  strata,  and  also  of  the  small  cellular 
vegetables,  Fungi  and  Lichens,  which,  at  the  present  time,  live  on  the  bark  of 
the  trunks  and  branches  of  our  trees,  and  are  also  observable,  in  the  same  cir- 
cumstances, in  the  Tertiary  and  Cretaceous  formations.  I  have  already  re- 
marked, that  no  remains  of  any  kind  of  marine  plants  have  as  yet  been  observed 
in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek.*  This  is  the  more  noticeable,  as  some  of 
them  have  for  nuclei  bones  of  fishes  of  moderate  size.  As  the  so-called 
Fucoides  have  also  never  been  seen  in  any  bed  of  shale  overlying  coal  strata,  it 
is  reasonable  to  conclude  that  the  remains  of  these  plants  have  not  contributed 

*Since  this  report  was  written,  two  or  three  nodules  have  been  obtained  from  Mazon  creek, 
inclosing  marine  shells,  one  of  which  is  an  Aviculopecten,  and  the  others  probably  referable  to 
the  genera  Nucula  and  Polyphemopsis  or  Macrochdlus,  and  indicate  that  these  Mazon  creek 
shales  were  probably  an  estuary  deposit,  in  which  the  remains  of  marine  animals  were  sparingly 
intermingled  with  the  fauna  and  flora  of  the  adjacent  land.  A.  H.  W. 

—62 


490  PALEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

in  any  way  to  the  formation  of  the  coal.  But  this  is  not  a  sufficient  reason  for 
asserting  their  non-existence  at  the  Carboniferous  epoch.  Ghondrites  Colletii, 
Lesqx.,  collected  from  Lodi,  Ind.,  and  found  in  connection  with  a  bed  of  lime- 
stone overlying  a  thin  coal  at  the  base  of  the  true  Coal  Measures,  or  just  above 
the  mill-stone  grit,  like  Caulerpites  marginatus,  Lesqx.,  from  an  analogous  sta- 
tion in  Pennsylvania,  are  sufficient  proof  of  the  existence  there  of  marine  vege- 
tables already  of  a  high  order.  But  marine  Algce  could  not  live  in  the  low 
swamps  where  the  coal  was  in  process  of  formation,  no  more  than  they  could 
live  now  on  the  surface  of  the  peat  bogs,  even  of  those  which  extend  along  the 
sea  shores.  These  plants  had  then,  as  they  have  now,  a  domain  of  their  own  . 
they  have  casually  been  brought  to  live  upon  a  limestone  formed  under  deep 
water,  as  the  roof  of  a  coal  bed,  but  no  remains  of  them  could  enter  into  its  com- 
pound. 

Of  Epiphyllce,  small  Fungi  or  Lichens,  as  parasites  of  stems  and  leaves,  the 
concretions  of  Mazon  creek  have  also  no  trace.  They  have,  however,  in  great 
quantity  that  peculiar  small  organized  body,  Gyromices  Ammonis.  Gopp.,  which 
some  European  naturalists  still  persist  in  considering  as  a  Fungus*.  In  the 
nodules  the  white,  shining,  bony  substance  of  this  small  Serpulidce  is  better  pre- 
served still  than  in  the  shale,  and  the  tissue  of  fragments  of  thick  leaves, 
wherein  it  burrowed,  is  often  perforated  like  a  sieve,  by  the  removal  of  this 
shell  after  the  destruction  of  the  epidermis. 

The  reason  generally  given  for  the  non-appearance  of  remains  of  small,  cellu- 
lar, vegetables,  like  Fungi  or  Lichens,  upon  the  bark  of  branches  and  trunks  of 
the  Coal  Measures,  is,  that  the  maceration  of  the  woody  tissue  and  its  softening 
has  necessarily  detached  these  small  bodies  from  their  place  of  origin.  But  if 
this  was  the  real  cause  of  their  disappearance,  small  vegetables  of  this  kind 
should  have  been  preserved  in  the  nodules  of  Mazon  creek,  as  well  as  the  small 
vegetable  organs,  scales,  hairs,  fruit  dots,  and  even  seeds  of  Lycopodiacece,  which 
are  as  much  exposed  to  separation  and  destruction  by  the  process  of  maceration. 
We  find,  moreover,  a  large  number  of  these  small  plants  in  the  fossil  remains  of 
the  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  formations,  upon  fragments  of  wood,  which  have 
been  exposed,  before  their  petrification,  to  maceration,  just  as  much  as  the  plants 
of  the  Carboniferous  period.  As  these  parasitic  Fungi  and  Lichens  are  at  our 
time  of  rare  occurrence  on  ferns,  as  also  on  Lycopodiaceoe  and  Equisetacece,  I 
would  rather  admit  that  their  appearance  is  cotemporaneous  with  that  of  the 
exogenous  plants,  on  which  they  especially  thrive,  and  that  species  of  this  class, 
and  also  of  mosses  and  Hepaticce  had  scarcely  any  representatives  in  the  vege- 
table world  before  the  end  of  the  palaeozoic  period. 

*Prof.  W.  P.  Schimper  places  it  in  species  of  doubtful  affinity  in  his  Pal.  Veg.,  p.  144 
In  his  Permain  Flora,  Goppert  has  it  still  as  a  Fungus. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  491 

The  shale  of  the  coal  at  Morris  and  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek  have 
furnished  also  a  number  of  specimens  of  three  species,  or  rather  forms,  of 
Paloeoxyris,  a  kind  of  organism  which  is  considered  by  Brongniart,  Schimper, 
and  other  naturalists,  as  a  plant  belonging  to  a  higher  class  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom,  that  of  the  monocotyledbnousphoenogomous  plants.  In  describing  these 
bodies,  I  have  expressed  my  views  on  their  nature.  If  the  opinions  of  the  Eu- 
ropean authors  are  right,  we  have  already,  from  the  lower  part  of  the  Coal 
Measures  of  Illinois,  vegetable  organisms  of  a  class  of  plants,  whose  first  ap- 
pearance has  been  marked  in  the  Triassic  period.  Though  it  may  only  effect 
their  generic  affinity,  the  presence  of  these  bodies  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon 
creek  is  the  more  remarkable  that  they  are  there  associated,  as  in  the  Permian 
of  Europe,  with  a  quantity  of  animal  remains,  especially  insects  of  large  size, 
which  have,  as  yet,  not  been  discovered  elsewhere  in  the  Carboniferous  for- 
mations. 

There  has  been  found  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  England  and  Nova  Scotia, 
specimens  of  fossil  wood,  referable  by  their  tissue,  a  compound  of  large  woody 
cells  or  fibres,  marked  by  vertical  circular  spots,  to  the  Conifers  or  Pine  family. 
It  is  remarkable  that  most  of  the  fossil  wood  of  our  Devonian  strata  indicates 
the  same  characteristic  form  of  cells,  and  that  as  yet,  neither  in  Illinois  nor  in 
other  parts  of  our  true  Coal  Measures,  no  kind  of  branches,  leaves,  or  petrified 
wood  distinctly  related  to  this  order  of  vegetables,  have  ever  been  observed. 
The  fragments  described  from  a  nodule  of  Mazon  creek  in  vol.  2,  p.  447,  pi. 
xxxvii,  fig.  3,  of  this  Report,  under  the  name  of  Lycopodites  asterophyllitsefo- 
lius,  resembles,  indeed,  a  branch  of  some  kind  of  Conifer,  but  it  is  as  well  com- 
parable to  some  species  of  Lycopodiacese.  We  have  also  obtained  from  the 
lower  strata  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois  and  of  Pennsylvania,  specimens 
of  Artisia  transversa,  Sternb.,  a  species  whose  affinity  is  still  uncertain,  it  being 
considered  by  Dawson  a  Conifer,  while  most  of  the  European  palaeontologists 
describe  it  with  the  Lycopodiacese.  Our  specimens  are  all  transformed  into 
sandstone,  with  no  other  part  preserved  but  the  mold,  do  not  afford  any  light 
on  this  question.  From  this  uncertainty  as  to  the  true  affinity  of  these  vege- 
table remains,  and  what  is  said  above  concerning  other  orders  of  fossil  plants 
found  in  the  Carboniferous  strata,  it  would  seem  proper  to  conclude  that  the 
flora  which  has  furnished  the  materials  for  the  formation  of  our  coal,  and  which 
covered  the  bogs  of  our  continent  at  the  Carboniferous  epoch,  was  limited  to  a 
single  group  of  vegetables,  that  of  the  acrogenous  cryptogams.  (1)  The  same 


(1)  Prof.  Goppert  considers  the  genus  Sigillaria  as  rather  related  to  a  gymnosperm  family. 
Its  relation  with  the  genus  Lfpidodendron  is  too  evident  to  permit  this  conclusion ;  the  cones 
and  seeds  of  Sigillaria  have  moreover  been  found  in  our  Coal  Measures,  of  the  same  charac- 
ter as  those  described  by  Goldenberg. 


492  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

remarks  would  seem  also  to  authorize  an  affirmative  answer  to  the  often  pro- 
posed questions : 

1st.  Does  what  we  already  know  of  the  Coal  Measures  give  us  a  just  idea  of 
the  boggy  vegetation  of  which  the  coal  is  a  compound  ? 

2d.  Is  the  vegetation  of  the  bogs  of  the  coal  a  true  representation  of  the 
whole  flora  of  the  epoch  ? 

For  though  it  is  argued,  with  an  appearance  of  right,  that  the  whole  flora 
of  the  Carboniferous  time  could  not  have  been  limited  to  that  of  the  swamps, 
that  a  part  of  the  land  was  high  and  dry,  and  as  we  have  now,  on  our  peat 
bogs,  a  peculiar  group  of  plants  appropriate  to  that  kind  of  soil,  and  without 
analogy  to  the  vegetation  of  our  dry  land,  the  same  differences  should  have 
existed  at  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  coal.  The  contrary  proposition, 
considered  hypothetically,  could  be  equally  well  sustained.  From  all  appear- 
ances, the  land,  especially  on  our  western  coal  fields,  was,  at  the  Carboniferous 
period,  represented  merely  by  a  series  of  flat  swamps,  separated  by  lagoons, 
and  therefore  the  whole  vegetation  of  the  land  was  essentially  of  the  boggy  kind. 
But,  even  if  at  this  epoch  there  was  any  elevated  land,  the  extreme  atmospheric 
humidity  should  have  forced  upon  it  the  same  vegetation  as  that  of  the  bogs, 
as  it  happens  at  our  time  in  some  parts  of  Ireland  and  Germany,  where,  under 
the  influence  of  atmospheric  humidity,  peat  bogs  ascend  on  inclined  slopes  to 
the  top  of  high  mountains.  Prof.  Schimper  says,  in  speaking  of  the  ferns 
which  constitute  the  essential  vegetation  of  the  coal  formations  :  there  is  no 
other  natural  order  of  plants  whose  intensity  of  vegetation  so  much  depends 
upon  atmospheric  humidity.  Ferns  are  true  natural  hygrometers,  whose  indi- 
vidual as  well  as  numerical  development  is  always  in  direct  proportion  to  the 
humidity  of  the  climate  wherein  they  live.  Therefore,  the  land  vegetation  of 
the  Carboniferous  period  must  everywhere  bear  the  same  general  character. 
A  confirmation  of  this  assertion  seems  also  to  be  found  in  the  fact,  that  even 
in  the  formations  of  great  thickness  of  Nova  Scotia,  where  trees  are  seen  stand- 
ing and  imbedded  at  different  altitudes,  and  where  no  coal  is  seen  in  connec- 
tion with  them,  these  trees  are  recognized  as  belonging  to  species,  or  at  least 
to  genera  of  the  coal :  Sigillaria,  Lepidodendron  and  Catamites.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  we  have  to  account  for  the  presence  in  the  slate  and  sandstone 
overlying  our  coal  strata,  of  various  kinds  of  fruits  or  hard  nuts,  whose  relation, 
for  some  of  them  at  least,  can  not  be  traced  to  any  species  of  the  coal  flora 
known  by  other  kinds  of  remains:  leaves,  stems,  etc.  It  is  true  that  as  fast 
as  our  acquaintance  with  this  ancient  vegetation  becomes  more  intimate,  some 
of  these  so-called  fruits  are  recognized  as  peculiar  vegetables  of  the  coal,  for 
example,  some  species  of  Trigonocarpum  or  Carpolithes,  as  tubercles  of  Equi- 
setacese,  or  as  vesicular  appendages  grown  at  the  end  of  leaves  of  Stigmaria. 
But  an  explanation  of  this  kind  can  not  be  admitted  for  nutlets,  representing 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  493 

an  internal  ovule  or  seed,  covered  with  three  different  envelopes  like  those  of 
Trigonocarpum  Nceggerathu,  of  which  a  fine  specimen  from  Mazon  creek  has 
been  figured  in  this  Report.  They  resemble  fruit  of  palms,  and  have  been  re- 
ferred by  authors  to  species  of  Cordaites  or  Nceggerathia.  Still  less  can  it  be 
proposed  for  winged  seeds  or  fruits  generally  described  under  the  generic  name 
of  Cardiocarpus  and  Rhabdocarpus.  These  fruits,  whose  place  in  the  vege- 
table kingdom  is  still  problematical  to  palaeontologists,  are  far  better  known 
from  American  than  from  European  specimens,  and  their  analysis  can,  there- 
fore, be  pursued  with  chances  of  more  satisfactory  results.  One  of  them  is  de- 
scribed and  figured  in  its  whole,  in  the  Arks.  Geol.  Kept.,  vol.  i,  p.  311,  pi.  4, 
fig.  4,  as  Cardiocarpus  ingens,  Lesqx.  Another,  still  more  remarkable,  has 
been  published  by  Dr.  Newberry,  in  the  Annals  of  Science,  of  Cleveland,  May 
1853,  p.  152,  N.  2,  as  Cardiocarpus  samarceformis.  A  third  has  been  obtained 
in  good  and  numerous  specimens  from  the  shale  overlaying  the  coal  of  Coshoc- 
ton,  Ohio,  by  Rev.  H.  Herzer.  This  peculiar  fruit,  Ptilocarpus  bicornutiis, 
Lesqx.,  (1)  is  composed  of  a  small  oval  seed,  pointed  downwards,  rounded  or  ob- 
tuse at  the  top,  obscurely  ribbed  in  the  length,  attached  to  the  inside  of  an 
oval  scale,  elongated  upwards,  diverging  at  its  base  into  two  short  horns  and 
overlapping  the  seeds  by  its  border.  The  seeds,  though  generally  found  con- 
nected to  the  winged  scales,  are  easily  detached  from  it,  and  indeed  all  the 
specimens  which  I  have  examined,  show  the  seeds  already  half  detached  from 
the  top  downwards,  and  to  prevent  them  becoming  lost,  I  had  to  take  them 
out  of  the  specimens  and  preserve  them  separately.  This  connection  of  a  small 
oval  seed  to  one  side  of  a  winged  scale,  point  out  evidently  the  relation  of  this 
fruit  and  of  others  related  to  it,  and  mark  their  places  as  belonging,  if  not  to 
true  Conifers,  at  least  to  the  Gymnosperm  family.  However  peculiar  they  may 
be  in  their  form,  though  different  from  seeds  of  the  species  of  our  time,  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  compare  them  to  any  other  family  of  vegetables.  As  the 
seeds  are  generally  found  separate  from  their  scale,  a  number  of  fruits  of  our 
Coal  Measures  are  probably  referable  to  the  new  genus,  Carpolithes  multistri- 
atus,  for  example.  For  some  of  the  numerous  specimens  from  Colchester,  111., 
bear  evident  remains  of  scales  overlapping  the  seeds  like  a  broad  rim,  more  or 
less  lacerated  and  partially  destroyed,  especially  towards  the  point.  And  in 
the  nodules  of  Mazon  creek,  where  these  seeds  are  preserved  in  their  original 
form,  they  appear  merely  tumid  in  the  middle,  as  compressed  under  a  scale, 
and  not  cylindrical.  Rhabdocarpus  clavatus  is,  perhaps,  also  a  seed  of  the 
same  kind,  as  are  evidently  the  species  of  Cardiocarpus  published  by  Dr.  New- 
berry,  loc.  cit.,  and  many  European  species  like  Rhabdocarpus  mammilla 'tus, 
Artis,  etc. 

(1)  As  the  name  indicates,  this  new  genus  Ptilocarpus  is  established  for  the  special  de- 
scription of  winged  fruits  having  an  affinity  to  those  of  the  Conifers. 


494  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

I  have  said  above  that  the  relation  of  these  fruits  can  not  be  traced  to  any 
other  kind  of  vegetable  remains,  leaves,  branches  or  trunks  of  the  Coal  Meas- 
ures, but  there  is,  I  think,  a  remarkable  exception  worth  mentioning  here. 
The  shale  overlying  the  coal  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio,  where  Ptilocarpus  sama- 
rceformis  has  been  found  with  many  others  of  the  same  genus,  is,  in  some 
places,  covered  with  a  quantity  of  leaves  of  the  peculiar  Whfttleseya  eleyans, 
Newb.  These  leaves,  by  their  flabellate  form,  seem  related  to  the  genus  Sulis- 
buria,  while  the  nervation  resembles  that  of  a  Pterophyllum  or  Zamites.  I  con- 
sider it  very  probable  that  some  of  the  above  mentioned  winged  fruits  are  re- 
lated to  these  leaves,  and  that  we  have,  therefore,  two  remarkable  organs  of 
species  of  the  Conifer  family. 

It  appears,  therefore,  that  if  the  Acrogenous  plants  did  constitute  the  essen- 
tial part  of  the  vegetation  of  the  Carboniferous  epoch,  this  vegetation  had 
already  representatives  of  the  three  essential  classes  of  plants  of  our  actual 
flora:  the  Phenogamous  dicotyledonous,  represented  by  Gymnosperms;  the 
Phenogamous  monocotyledonous,  to  which  are  referable  species  of  Cordaites, 
Naggerathia  and  Trigonocarpum,  and  the  Cryptogamous,  represented  by  the 
three  families  of  Equisetacece,  Filices  and  Lycopodiaceai.  And  from  all  appear- 
ances, we  have  to  admit  the  similarity  of  characters  and  uniformity  of  the 
entire  flora  of  the  Carboniferous  period.  For  it  does  not  appear  that  any  of 
the  species  known  from  our  Coal  Measures  have  been  transported  from  a  dis- 
tance, either  by  water  or  by  the  winds,  and  casually  deposited  in  sands  or  clays 
of  the  coal  swamps.  The  leaves  and  fruits  are  generally  found  in  groups/'a 
number  of  their  remains  being  together,  and  covering  a  limited  area,  as  if 
originating  from  trees  or  plants  grown  at  the  place  around  which  these  remains 
are  spread,  and,  as  it  has  been  remarked  above,  all  the  species  of  fossil  trees 
as  yet  examined  from  the  sandstoae,  are  referable  to  genera  known  from  shale 
overlying  the  coal  strata. 

In  pursuing  the  same  mode  of  investigation,  I  have  still  to  make  some  re- 
marks on  the  affinity  of  our  new  species  and  genera  of  fossil  plants  from  Illi- 
nois, in  addition  to  what  has  already  been  said  in  the  detailed  description  of 
each.  As  our  table  shows,  by  far  the  greatest  number  of  our  new  species  have 
been  found  in  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  from  which  it  is  reasonable  to 
infer  that  the  preservation  of  many  of  these  species  is  due  to  their  mode  of  fos- 
silization,  and  that  the  same  kind  of  plants  may  have  been  constituents  of  the 
vegetation  of  the  coal  in  other  countries,  though  their  remains  have  not  as  yet 
been  found  elsewhere.  Of  species  of  Neuropteris,  for  example,  described  and 
figured  in  the  second  volume  of  this  Report :  Neuropteris  Evenii,  JV.  pachyderma 
and  -#"•  Mrbencefolia,  all  from  Mazon  creek,  have  been  omitted  by  Schimper  in 
his  enumeration;  and  yet,  though  the  two  first  have  not  been  elsewhere  discov- 
ered, their  preservation  is  so  remarkable,  and  their  distinctive  cnaracters  so 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  495 

well  marked,  that  their  specific  value  is  beyond  question.  The  case  is  still 
more  evident  with  Neuropteris  verlencefolia,  with  which  we  now  have  a  more  in- 
timate acquaintance,  from  the  discovery  of  a  number  of  specimens,  all  found 
at  Mazon  creek.  I  mention  only  these  species,  not  merely  as  a  kind  of  vindi- 
cation in  favor  of  our  American  discoveries,  but  in  order  to  secure  points  of 
comparison  in  considering  the  geographical  distribution  of  the  plants  of  the 
Carboniferous  epoch. 

No  more  evident  proof  of  the  truth  of  what  is  said  above  could  be  afforded, 
than  the  discovery  in  the  nodules  of  Mazon  creek  of  numerous  specimens  of 
organs,  which  have  as  yet  scarcely  been  found  elsewhere.  The  fructification 
of  ferns  and  their  rhizomas,  are  of  this  kind.  Besides  two  of  the  species  de- 
scribed in  the  genus  Staphylopteris ,  we  have,  in  nodules  from  this  locality, 
seven  fruiting  species  of  Alethopteris^  six  of  Pecopteris,  with  one  Asterocarpus , 
most  of  which  were  as  before  unknown  in  fructifications.  And  if  the  fossil 
fruit-dots  of  ferns  were  not  generally  obscured,  and  their  form  and  position  in- 
distinct, discernible  only,  as  they  are,  through  the  substance  of  the  leaves,  we 
should  have  had  for  description  a  far  larger  number  of  fruiting  specimens  of 
ferns.  When  Prof.  Brongniart  published  his  justly  celebrated  Fossil  Flora 
(1848),  only  three  species  of  ferns,  Pecopteru  cyathea,  P.  hemiteloides  and  P.  Mil- 
toni,  were  known  and  described,  with  fruiting  branches.  No  fruiting  racemes, 
like  those  of  a  Staphylopteris,  had  then,  nor  have  been  found  even  now,  after 
forty  years  of  further  researches  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Europe. 

Considering  this  peculiar  scarcity  of  fruiting  ferns,  Schimper  comes  to  the 
conclusion  that,  as  arborescent  ferns  of  our  time  are  rarely  fertile,  the  species 
of  this  2;enus,  in  the  Carboniferous  epoch,  were  mostly  fern  trees.  I  should 
be  inclined  to  admit  the  same  conclusion,  especially  in  considering  the  number 
of  trunks  of  ferns,  Caulopteris,  found  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois,  if  the 
coal  flora  represented  in  the  concretions  did  not  indicate  a  proportion  of  fruit- 
ing branches  nearly  as  marked  as  it  would  be  in  collecting  ferns  of  our  time  in 
a  given  area. 

It  is  peculiar  that,  though  evidently  belonging  to  herbaceous  species  of 
fern,  there  has  not  as  yet  been  found  any  fructification  of  the  genus  Neuropteris. 
Leaves  of  Neuropteris  hirsuta  are  the  most  abundant  and  the  best  preserved  of 
all  the  remains  of  fossil  plants  in  the  nodules  of  Mazon  creek,  and  yet  neither 
here,  nor  anywhere  else  in  our  Coal  Measures,  has  anything  been  discovered 
which  might  be  considered,  beyond  a  doubt,  as  its  fructification.  For  the  in- 
tumescence of  veins  or  veinlets,  often  remarked  on  the  surface  of  the  leaflets  of 
this  and  other  species  of  Neuropteris,  and  doubtfully  considered  as  produced  by 
groups  of  fructification  placed  underneath,  seems  rather  to  be  the  result  of  some 
casualty  of  maceration  of  the  leaves.  A  mode  of  fructification  of  this  kind 
does  not  agree  with  that  of  ferns,  and  is  rather  comparable  to  the  Osmundacece 


496  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

of  our  time,  which  bear  their  fructifications  either  as  separate  racemes  or  on 
peculiar  divisions  of  their  fronds.  The  fructifications  of  species  of  the  genus 
Odontopteris ,  so  closely  related  to  Neuropteris,  are  known  for  Odontopteris 
Schlotheimii  and  0.  Reichiana,  Gutb.  The  fertile  pinnae,  not  yet  found  in  con- 
nection with  sterile  fronds,  bear  inflated,  round  leaflets  resembling  small  blad- 
ders, which  have  no  relation  whatever  to  the  intumescence  of  veins  considered 
as  the  fructification  of  Neuropteris. 

Still  more  than  their  fructification,  the  rhizomas  of  ferns  have  hitherto  been 
unknown  to  palaeontologists,  at  least  from  the  Coal  Measures.  Prof.  Goppert 
has  given,  in  his  FOBS.  Farnkreuter,  p.  91,  tab.  33,  fig.  1,  the  only  fragment 
which  as  yet  has  been  published  by  European  authors,  as  evidently  belonging 
to  true  rhizomas  of  the  coal.  In  his  Pal.  Veg.,  Prof.  Schimper  has  published, 
under  the  name  of  JRhizomopteris,  two  fragments  of  plants,  Selaginites  Erdmanni, 
Gein.,  and  Selaginites  uncinnatus,  Lesqx.,  which,  from  the  spiral  development  of 
their  branches,  their  ramifications  and  their  scales,  he  considers  as  representing 
small  rhizoma  of  ferns  rather  than  Lycopodiacew.  I  cannot  agree,  on  this  sub- 
ject, with  my  celebrated  friend.  The  plant  published  as  Selaginites  uncinnatus, 
Lesqx.,  vol.  ii,  p.  446,  pi.  41,  of  this  Report,  is  too  slender,  and  hag  too  slender 
divisions  to  represent  a  rhizoma,  even  of  a  climbing  fern.  Its  slender  branches, 
rather  pinnately  placed,  are  not  more  curved  in  spiral  than  they  may  be  in 
some  of  our  species  of  Lycopodium,  and  the  divisions  are  evidently  pinnate, 
like  leaflets,  and  not  scattered  like  hairs.  The  plant  named  Lycopodites  Erd- 
manni,  by  Geinitz,  and  which,  as  Prof.  Schimper  remarks,  is  different  from 
L.  Erdmanni  of  Germ.,  has,  like  our  Selaginites  crassus,  the  ramification  and 
appearance  of  a  Lycopodium,  but  from  the  examination  of  peculiar  specimens 
of  the  same  species,  seen  by  the  author,  it  seems  to  belong  to  a  rhizoma.  Even 
admitting  that  these  two  species  represent  climbing  or  aerial  rhizomas,  this 
small  proportion  of  organs  of  this  kind,  compared  with  the  numerous  species 
of  ferns  known  from  the  Coal  Measures  of  Europe,  would  beunexplainable,but 
for  our  American  species.  For  the  concretions  of  Mazon  creek,  and  only 
these  from  the  whole  extent  of  our  Coal  Measures,  have  furnished  us  numer- 
ous specimens  of  eight  species  of  these  organs,  some  of  them  referable  to  sub- 
terraneous rhizomas.  It  is,  therefore,  apparent  that  the  organs  of  the  ferns  of 
the  Carboniferous  epoch  were  the  same,  and  in -the  same  proportion,  as  those  of 
our  time,  but,  that  some  of  these,  like  rhizomas  and  fruit-bearing  fronds,  have 
been  more  generally  destroyed  in  the  shale  on  account  of  their  soft  texture. 

The  inflated  subcylindrical  base  of  a  species  of  Annularia  and  of  a  Lepido- 
dendron  are  also  two  remarkable  characters,  not  recognized  as  yet  in  the  same 
kind  of  plants  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  which  we  owe  still  to  the  peculiar 
preservation  of  vegetable  remains  in  the  concretions  of  Illinois.  Species  of 
the  genus  Annularia  may  have  been  represented  in  the  swamps  of  the  Carbon- 
iferous period  by  two  kinds  of  leaves,  according  to  their  growth,  either  in  water 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  497 

or  out  of  it,  like  some  of  our  actual  water  plants  which  have  for  their  suste- 
nance in  water  peculiar  organs,  sometimes  a  mere  swelling  of  their  petioles,  as 
in  Trapa  natans  for  example,  which  disappear  on  the  emerged  parts.  A  like 
lubulose,  bladdery  form  characterizes  the  leaves  of  the  species  of  Stigmaria, 
whose  long  stems  were  sustained  by  these  floating  organs,  and  we  could  there- 
fore easily  admit  a  dimorphism  of  the  leaves  of  plants  which,  like  Annularia, 
evidently  lived  partially  in  water.  But  the  cylindrical  form  of  the  leaves  of  a 
Lepidodendron,  like  those  of  L.  rigens,  cannot  be  explained  in  the  same  manner. 
These  leaves  are  evidently  aerial  organs,  and  by  their  form  expose  a  new  charac- 
teristic not  yet  surmised  in  species  of  this  genus,  though  it  was  already  ob- 
scurely marked  by  the  position  of  the  vascular  lines  seen  in  a  different  relation, 
according  to  the  plane  in  which  their  leaves  have  been  flattened  in  shale. 

The  shales  of  Morris  and  Colchester  have  remains  of  small  branches  of  a 
Lepidodendron,  referable  to  L,  elegans  or  L.  gracile,  Brgt?  one  to  two  inches 
thick,  mostly  dividing  perpendicularly  to  their  axis,  bearing  short  flat  leaves 
and  so  abundant  that  they  fill  the  shale  to  the  thickness  of  one  foot  or  more, 
extending  and  covering  a  large  space.  These  remains,  scarcely  varying  in 
thickness,  do  not  look  as  though  pertaining  to  erect  stems,  but  rather  appear 
like  creeping  branches,  extending  all  around,  like  those  of  some  of  our  species 
of  jLycopodiacece.  The  roots  of  Lepidodendra  are  unknown  as  yet,  and  I  be- 
lieve that  some  species  of  this  genus,  heretofore  considered  as  branches  of  trees, 
are  mere  creeping  stems,  which,  in  some  circumstances,  only  bear  flowering 
stems,  or  true  Lepidodendra,  It  is  the  same  with  the  genus  Sigillaria,  the 
species  of  which  I  consider  as  fruiting  stems  of  Stigmaria.  It  is  easily  con- 
ceivable that  large  trees,  like  those  of  Lepidodendron  and  Sigillaria,  could 
not  be  sustained  upon  the  soft  surface  of  the  swamps  of  the  Coal  period, 
without  a  peculiar  kind  of  support ;  and  this  solidifying  process  of  the  surface 
could  only  be  afforded  by  a  vegetation  like  that  of  floating  or  creeping  stems 
of  the  same  kind  of  plants.  Some  Lycopodes  of  our  time,  when  growing  in 
swamps,  Lycopodium  inundatum  and  L.  clavatum  for  example,  cover  the  soft 
ground  with  their  interlaced  creeping  branches,  bearing  their  rare  flowering 
stems  here  and  there,  out  of  the  reach  and  influence  of  water.  Many  aquatic 
plants  of  our  time  also  multiply  their  stems,  extending  them  in  every  direction 
by  constant  division,  and  fill  large  basins,  even  small  lakes,  never  bearing  any 
flowering  stem  until  they  have  formed,  by  compact  netting,  a  kind  of  support 
strong  enough  to  sustain  them  out  of  water  for  fertilization.  This  is  the  case 
especially  with  some  species  of  our  mosses,  Hypnum  Lycopodioides,  H.  fluctans, 
Sphagna,  etc.  Some  of  our  species  of  Utricularia  have  two  very  distinct 
modes  of  vegetation.  U.  intermedia,  for  example,  has,  in  water,  its  stems  infi- 
nitely expanded  and  divided,  sustained  as  they  are  by  their  utricles,  while  in 
sand  the  same  species  has  a  simple  stem  dividing  at  the  base  into  three 
—63 


498  PALAEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

branches,  true  roots  which  still  lower  bear  a  few  thread-like  filaments,  without 
trace  of  leaves  or  utricles.  I  have  compared  this  kind  of  vegetation  to  that 
of  Sigillaria  of  the  Coal  Measures,  merely,  of  course,  for  the  mode  of  develop- 
ment.* Remains  of  Stigmaria  fill  whole  banks  of  fire  clay  of  our  Coal  Mea- 
sures, to  a  thickness  of  from  six  to  fifty  feet,  and  no  remains  of  Sigillaria  have 
ever  been  found  in  this  clay  in  connection  with  them.  Prof.  Schimper  men- 
tions an  analogous  circumstance  from  his  observation  on  the  Vosges  sandstone 
(Grauwacke  Vosgienne),  whose  entire  strata  are  also  filled  with  remains  of  Stig- 
maria, and  where  no  Sigillaria  is  ever  found.t  Roots  cannot  live  by  themselves, 
independent  of  any  other  kind  of  organs,  and  it  is  certainly  impossible  to  ex- 
plain the  mode  of  vegetation,  the  form,  the  nature  of  the  Stigmaria  and  its 
action,  in  considering  it  as  a  root.  But  admitting  these  plants  to  be  the  float- 
ing stems  of  species  of  Sigillaria  to  which  they  have  been  sometimes  seen  at- 
tached, their  peculiar  nature  and  mode  of  vegetation  becomes  explainable, 
and  in  circumstances  where  they  are  found  in  the  Coal  Measures,  they  are  in 
perfect  harmony  with  the  general  vegetation  of  that  epoch,  as  well  as  with  the 
end  which  they  were  called  to  achieve.  As  is  the  case  especially  with  our  float- 
ing mosses,  these  floating  stems  of  the  Carboniferous  epoch  have  the  characters 
blended  in  a  kind  of  uniformity  which  renders  them  scarcely  recognizable. 
All  the  Stigmaria  bear  the  same  kind  of  cylindrical,  bladdery  leaves,  and  there- 
fore have  all,  though  belonging  to  different  species,  the  same  kind  of  cicatrices 
upon  their  stems,  viz. ,  a  circular,  double  ring,  with  a  single  vascular  scar  in  the 
center.  This  peculiarity  has  been  heretofore  a  problem  to  palaeontologists. 
Binney  has  seen  Stigmaria  ficoides  as  the  roots  of  Sigillaria  reniformis, 
Rich.  Brown  has  seen  the  same  Stigmaria  as  the  roots  of  Sigillaria  alternans. 
Prof.  Goeppert  has  obtained  a  splendid  specimen  of  Sigillaria  elongata,  with 
Stigmaria  as  its  roots,  and  Prof.  Schimper  has  the  same  Stigmaria  at  the  base  of 
a  fourth  species  of  Sigillaria,  and  the  fossil  trees  procured  by  Dr.  D.  D.  Owen, 
should  be  quoted  still  as  a  fifth  species,  S.  Owenii,  Lesqx.,  bearing  Stigmaria 
as  its  basilar  appendages.  This  Sigillaria  to  which  I  have  already  alluded,  has 
its  mould  preserved  in  perfect  integrity  with  the  scars  of  the  stems,  those  of  its 
base  and  those  of  the  divisions  called  roots,  fully  discernible.  The  cicatrices 
of  the  stem  have  no  affinity  with  those  of  any  other  species  of  Sigillaria  hith- 
erto known.  They  are  double,  horizontally  distant  from  each  other  one  and 
one-fourth  inches,  vertically  three-fourths  of  an  inch,  formed  of  two  transversly 
oval  scars,  close  to  each  other,  joined  at  the  corners  by  a  deep  line,  thus  resem- 
bling in  miniature  a  pair  of  spectacles.  The  small  oval  scars  are  about  one- 
eighth  of  an  inch  across  in  their  broadest  diameter,  deeply  marked  into  the 

*W.  P.  Schimper,  Terrain  de  transition  des  Vosges,  p.  324. 

fProf.  Goppert,  in  his  Permain,  compares  it  to  that  of  the  Prothalliun  of  the  mosses. 
There  is  a  mere  analogy  of  division  of  the  branches ;  nothing  more. 


FOSSIL  PLANTS  499 

stone,  formed  of  an  outer  ring  with  crenulate  borders,  and  a  comparatively 
large  oval  or  elongated  vascular  scar  in  the  middle.  The  double  scars  evidently 
represent  the  point  of  attachment  of  single  leaves,  which,  if  they  had  any  anal- 
ogy of  form  to  that  of  their  base,  should  have  been  one-third  of  an  inch  broad, 
with  round  sub- cylindrical  borders,  and  a  broad,  flat,  medial  line.  The  surface 
of  the  trunks  is  regularly  and  finely  wrinkled  in  the  length :  the  scars  trans- 
versely and  still  more  finely  so.  The  cicatrices,  in  descending  towards  the  base 
of  the  tree,  gradually  change  their  form.  They  first  become  united  into  one, 
forming  a  deep  triangular  depression,  with  a  single  oval  scar  at  the  bottom, 
and  further  down  in  reaching  the  divisions  representing  their  roots,  they  be- 
come round,  with  a  central  vascular  point,  exactly  like  those  of  Stigmaria 
ficoides,  though  a  little  smaller.  The  divisions  of  the  stem,  at  first  inclined 
downwards,  become  nearly  horizontal  at  the  broken  extremities,  distant  twelve 
inches  from  the  base  of  the  stem.  The  largest  and  best  preserved  of  these 
trunks  is,  near  its  base,  four  to  five  inches  in  circumference,  dividing  there  in 
nine  cylindrical  branches,  the  largest  ones  seven  to  nine  inches  in  diameter, 
merely  forked  near  the  broken  end,  which  is  two  to  three  inches  in  diameter. 
The  smallest  ones,  five  inches  across,  are  simple.  These  divisions,  though 
marked  with  stigmaroid  scars,  appear  indeed  like  roots,  but  it  is  evident  that 
species  of  Sigillaria  have  sometimes  grown  in  sand,  and  I  believe  that,  under 
such  circumstances,  their  subterranean  divisions  have  somewhat  modified  their 
form,  and  hence  they  become  similar  to  roots,  as  do  the  stems  of  Utricularia 
when  they  grow  in  sand.  It  is  <to  this  kind  of  organs  or  roots  of  Sigillaria, 
that  the  fragments  described  in  this  report  are  referable,  under  the  generic 
name  of  Sigittarwides* 

From  what  is  said  of  the  relation  of  Stigmaria  with  Sigillaria,  it  is  evident 
that  though  the  forms  of  Stigmaria  are  much  alike,  and  generally  as  yet  re- 
ferred to  one  species,  viz.,  S.  faoides,  Brgt.,  we  have  indeed  as  many  species  of 
Stigmaria  as  of  Sigillaria,  In  his  Permian,  Prof.  Goppert  still  describes  Stig- 
maria'  ficoides  with  eleven  varieties,  I  cannot  see  why  differences,  though  diffi- 
cult to  appreciate,  should  be  considered  as  specific  for  one  genus  and  as  a  mere 
variation  for  the  other.  But  botanical  palaeontology  is  a  peculiar  science.  It 
offers  to  its  adepts  mere  fragments  of  organs,  whose  relation  to  a  whole  is  most- 
ly unknown,  forcing  him  either  to  generalize,  and  to  consider  in  one  species  a 
number  of  organs  which  evidently  pertain  to  plants  of  various  kinds,  or  to 
specify  and  to  divide  under  divers  genera  and  species,  fragments  which,  if  not 
evidently,  at  least  often  apparently,  belong  to  the  same  vegetable.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  opinions  concerning  these  remains  are  often  at  variance  and 
often  modified,  or  that  the  student  of  these  fossil  remains  becomes  discouraged 

*I  have  never  had  an  opportunity  of  publishing  descriptions  with  plates  of  these  remarka- 
ble trees.    It  may  be  done  hereafter  in  the  report  of  the  Indiana  Geological  Survey. 


500  PALEONTOLOGY   OF   ILLINOIS. 

by  the  sterility  of  his  researches.  And  yet  it  is  to  vegetable  palteontology 
mainly  that  we  owe  our  acquaintance  with  the  surface  of  our  earth  at  the  vari- 
ous epochs.  From  it  we  learn  the  character  of  the  various  changes  which 
have  modified  this  surface,  and  the  admirable  harmony  of  all  the  phenomena 
produced  in  its  successive  modifications.  This  branch  of  science  has  therefore 
a  fascinating  attraction,  as  it  opens  to  our  view  the  treasures  of  a  vegetation  that 
no  human  eye  has  ever  seen  or  can  expect  to  see,  except  in  their  fossilized  frag- 
ments, and  it  shows  us  that  all  the  divers  epochs  have  been  constantly  working 
to  the  same  end:  the  preparation  of  a  home  for  the  human  race;  and  this  work 
has  been  constantly  pursued  in  admirable  harmony  under  the  direction  of  a 
Supreme  Intelligence. 


§  6.  ON  THE  STRATIGRAPHICAL  AND  GEOGRAPHICAL  DIS- 
TRIBUTION OF  THE  FOSSIL  PLANTS  OF  THE  COAL 
MEASURES. 

European  palaeontologists,  who  have  especially  studied  the  fossil  plants  of 
the  Carboniferous  strata,  Brongniart,  Goppert,  Schimper,  Geinitz,  etc.,  have 
admitted  that  the  distribution  of  these  plants  is  modified  according  to  the  age 
of  each  bed  of  coal,  and  that,  therefore,  the  horizontal  position  of  the  coal  strata 
may  be  recognized  by  species  peculiar  to  each.  These  views,  as  it  now  ap- 
pears, (1)  have  been  advanced  on  theoretical  ground,  or  are  based  on  local  ob- 
servations which  cannot  be  considered  as  furnishing  conclusive  proofs;  for 
local  modifications  in  the  succession  of  species  of  plants  may  be  the  result  of 
mere  local  atmospherical,  or  geographical  changes,  which  do  not  affect  the 
characters  of  the  whole  flora,  and  therefore  the  comparative  distribution  of 
the  fossil  species  of  plants  of  an  epoch  can  not  be  ascertained,  but  from  the 
examination  of  this  flora  over  the  whole  extent  of  its  domain.  A  question  of 
this  kind  can  certainly  be  examined  in  our  country  with  better  chances  of  a 
definitive  solution,  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world,  for  our  coal  fields  are  of 
vast  extent,  the  disturbances  of  stratification  are  rare  or  uniform,  easily  recog- 
nized by  geologists,  and  the  identification  of  the  coal  strata  is  ascertained  at 
different  localities  from  stratigraphical  evidence. 

From  the  beginning  of  my  researches,  in  1850,  on  the  fossil  flora  of  our  Coal 
Measures,  they  have  been  pursued  especially  in  view  of  obtaining  positive  data, 
marking  changes  in  the  vegetable  constituents  of  each  coal  bed,  according  to 
its  age,  and  therefore  of  recognizing  species  of  plants  peculiar  to  each  (leading 
species),  which  would  serve  for  their  identification.  As  my  views  on  the  sub- 

(1)     From  the  authority  of  Prof.  Brongniart,  in  letters,  1869. 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  501 

ject  have  been  published  at  different  times,  with  the  modifications  induced  by 
the  progress  of  the  researches,  a  summary  of  what  is  positively  ascertained  as 
yet  on  the  stratigraphical  distribution  of  the  vegetation  of  the  Coal  Measures 
is  not  out  of  place  in  this  Report.  (1) 

When  researches  are  restricted  to  a  limited  area,  or  to  basins  of  small  extent, 
marked  differences  are  recognizable  in  the  species  of  vegetable  remains  in  the 
shales,  as  well  as  in  the  essential  vegetable  components  of  each  bed  of  coal.  It 
is,  then,  an  easy  task  to  ascertain  the  relative  position  of  the  coal  strata  from 
the  comparison  of  these  remains.  But  when  researches  are  extended  over  a 
wider  area,  changes  of  vegetation,  evidently  caused  by  geographical  distribu- 
tion, become  more  and  more  appreciable,  some  of  the  predominant  species  of  a 
recognized  horizon  disappearing  at  some  localities,  and  giving  place  to  others 
of  different  characters.  A  glance  at  our  table  of  distribution  puts  this  in  full 
evidence.  The  coal  beds  of  Morris,  Colchester  and  Murphysborough,  the  two 
first  on  the  northeastern  and  northwestern,  the  last  on  the  southwestern  bor- 
ders of  the  coal  field  of  Illinois,  are  recognized,  from  all  evidence,  as  repre- 
senting coal  No.  2,  of  the  Illinois  section,  (in  vol.  3,  p.  6,  of  this  Report)  the 
equivalent  of  coal  1  B,  of  the  Kentucky  Report.  (2) 

Though  the  general  character  of  the  flora  may  be  considered  as  the  same, 
we  find,  by  comparison  of  the  species  at  Murphysborough,  eight  peculiar  spe- 
cies ;  five  only  in  common  with  Colchester  and  Morris,  and  twelve  in  common 
with  Morris  only,  or  altogether,  eight  species  proper,  and  seventeen  in  common 
with  strata  of  the  same  horizon  examined  elsewhere  in  Illinois.  Colchester 
and  Morris  have  been  more  carefully  searched  for  specimens  and  are  nearer  to 
each  other.  They  have  seventeen  species  in  common,  while  Colchester  has 
nine  species  not  yet  found  at  Morris,  and  Morris  has  forty-four  species,  with- 
out counting  those  of  Blazon  creek,  which,  as  yet,  have  not  been  seen  at  Col- 
chester. The  coal  of  Duquoin,  considered  as  No.  5,  of  the  Illinois  section,  and 
the  only  one  from  which  as  yet  we  have  in  Illinois  and  from  a  higher  hori- 
zon a  number  of  fossil  plants  which  can  be  used  for  comparison,  has  eleven 
species  proper,  and  seventeen  in  common  with  some  or  all  of  the  other  named 
localities.  Points  of  difference  and  identity  are  therefore  as  well  marked  for 
this  bed  of  coal  as  if  it  belonged  to  the  same  horizon  as  the  others,  and  the 
same  differences  are  observable  in  the  distribution  of  common  or  more  pre- 
dominant species.  For  example,  Neuropteris  flexuosa  is  most  abundant  at 
Murphysborough,  and  has  not  as  yet  been  found  at  Colchester  and  Morris, 
where  Pecopteris  villosa  and  Callipteris  Sullivantii  are  the  predominant  species; 
and  these  are  but  rarely  found,  or  not  at  all,  at  Murphysborough.  On  the 


(1)  See,  on  this  subject  especially,  Penna.  Geol.  Kept.,  p.  837;  Amer.  Jour,  of  Sci.  and 
Art,  Nov.  1860. 

(2)  All  these  strata  are  here  marked  according  to  the  Illinois  section. 


502  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

contrary,  Pecopteris  unita  and  Pecopteris  plumosa  are  common  at  Duquoin  and 
Morris,  especially  in  the  nodules  of  Mazon  creek,  and  rare,  or  not  recognized 
as  yet  at  Colchester  and  Murphysborough. 

From  the  examination  of  the  table,  one  may  easily  see  other  points  of  differ- 
ence between  the  species  found  at  the  same  station,  or  of  analogy  between 
those  of  different  horizons.  Nevertheless,  I  am  not,  on  this  account,  prepared 
to  abandon,  as  an  unsustainable  hypothesis,  the  question  of  the  stratigraphical 
distribution  of  the  fossil  plants  of  the  coal,  for  the  following  reasons : 

1st.  In  a  theoretical  point  of  view,  it  is  scarcely  admissible  that  at  an  epoch 
where  the  land  surface  has  been  universally,  and  at  repeated  times,  modified 
by  deposits,  either  of  sand  or  of  limestone,  sometimes  of  great  thickness,  indi- 
cating a  prolonged  submersion,  the  flora,  re-appearing  after  these  terms  of  sub- 
sidence, has  always  been  represented  by  the  same  species  distributed  in  the 
same  proportion.  Atmospherical  circumstances,  indeed,  are  the  essential 
agents  in  modifying  the  characters  of  a  flora,  and  these  circumstances  have 
been  apparently  the  same  during  the  whole  duration  of  the  Carboniferous 
epoch.  But  the  elements  or  components  of  the  soil,  or  of  the  water  where  the 
plants  have  lived,  have  been  evidently  modified  at  different  times,  and  even  if 
the  medium  affording  life  to  the  vegetation  had  been  repeatedly  the  same, 
some  species  of  plants  should  have  been  lost  or  have  somewhat  changed  their 
forms  in  these  repeated  and  prolonged  submersions  of  the  whole  surface  of  the 
coal  fields.  The  destruction,  or  the  first  appearance  of  a  species,  either  animal 
or  vegetable,  is  the  most  difficult  phenomenon  to  ascertain.  Animal  species, 
for  example,  seem  to  appear  at  once,  and  of  far  different  kinds,  in  successive 
geological  strata.  But  these  strata  are  either  composed  of  different  materials, 
or  have  been  formed  in  water  of  various  depths,  and  under  other  varied  cir- 
cumstances. The  changes  of  life,  therefore,  are  local  or  casual  phenomena, 
which  generally  represent  a  mere  displacement  of  groups,  and  are  of  no  account 
whatever  in  considering  the  first  appearance,  or  the  destruction  of  a  single 
species. 

2d.  The  fossil  plants  hitherto  obtained  from  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois 
are  mainly  the  result  of  local  researches,  too  limited  to  serve  as  a  basis  for  gen- 
eral conclusions,  and  it  is  only  after  more  extended  examinations,  and  more 
complete  collections  from  other  portions  of  the  great  area  now  occupied  by 
Carboniferous  strata  in  this  and  the  adjacent  States,  that  we  may  expect  to 
obtain  the  data  for  determining,  in  a  satisfactory  manner,  the  distribution  of 
the  Gabon iferous  flora  over  the  whole  extent  of  our  American  coal  fields. 

3d.  When  this  is  done,  we  shall  have  sufficient  proofs  of  a  gradual  change 
in  the  characters  of  the  vegetation  of  the  Coal  Measures  from  the  first  appear- 
ance of  land  vegetation.  The  Lycopodiaceoun  plants,  represented  by  the  genera 
Lepidodendron,  Knorria,  Ulodendron,  Sigillaria,  etc.,  are  already  represented  by 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  503 

large  tree  in  the  Devonian  of  Ohio;  in  the  Upper  Silurian  and  Lower  Devo- 
nian of  Pennsylvania,  (1)  and  occur  in  abundance  in  the  Chester  group  (Lower 
Carboniferous)  of  Illinois.  Representatives  of  this  family  of  plants  become 
more  and  more  predominant  in  ascending,  and  by  the  number  of  species,  and 
the  size  of  the  trees,  the  group  attains  its  full  development  near  the  base 
of  the  true  Coal  Measures,  at  the  horizon  of  coal  No.  2.  The  bed  of  shale 
overlaying  the  Sub-Conglomerate  coal  of  Kentucky  and  Arkansas,  appears  gen- 
erally as  a  compound  of  mere  debris,  especially  the  leaves  of  Lepidodendra. 
This  coal,  like  that  of  No.  2,  shows  also,  upon  its  horizontal  layers,  distinct 
remains  of  plants  of  the  same  kind.  In  Pennsylvania,  the  shale  of  the  mam- 
moth bed,  which  I  consider  as  the  equivalent  of  coal  2,  is,  in  places,  a  com- 
pound of  large  pieces  of  the  bark  of  Sigillaria  and  Lepidodendra,  superposed 
in  a  thickness  of  one  to  two  feet,  like  the  leaves  of  a  book.  (2)  At  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  Ohio,  the  shale  of  the  same  coal  is,  in  places,  a  mere  compound  also  of 
pieces  of  bark  of  Sigillaria,  and  in  Illinois,  as  seen  by  our  table,  the  remains 
of  Sigillaria  and  Lepidodendra  predominate  in  the  shale  of  coal  No.  2,  and 
the  place  of  this  coal  in  the  sandstone  of  Marseilles  is  marked  by  remains 
of  large  trees  of  the  same  genera. 

Ascending  higher  in  the  Measures,  the  Lycopodiaceous  plants  decrease  in 
number  to  coal  No.  5,  or  to  the  Duquoin  coal,  which,  from  its  vegetable  re- 
mains, appears  to  be  the  equivalent  of  coal  No.  3.  of  the  Kentucky  Reports. 
This  family  is  here  represented  still  by  some  species  of  Lepidodendron,  Lepido- 
phloios,  by  cones  or  Lepidostrobi  of  large  size,  and  by  a  few  Sigillaria  of  the 
Lepidodendroid  type,  viz. :  Sigillaria  sculpta  and  8.  Brardei,  which  appear  to  be 
universal  species  of  the  Carboniferous  epoch.  In  higher  strata  of  the  Coal 
Measures  of  the  United  States,  species  of  Lepidodendra  have  not  as  yet  been 
found. 

In  connection  with  the  Pittsburgh  coal,  as  with  coal  No.  9  and  No'  11,  of 
Kentucky,  I  have  seen  specimens  of  the  two  last  named  species  of  Sigillaria, 
but  no  remains  of  Lepidodendra.  From  horizons  above  the  Pittsburgh  coal, 
we  know  nothing  as  yet  of  the  flora  of  our  Coal  Measures.  But  in  Europe, 
G-oppert,  in  his  flora  of  the  Permian,  enumerates  Sigillaria  Brardei,  and  de- 
scribes two  new  species,  8.  denudata  and  8.  Danziana,  which  are  nearly  related 
to  Sigillaria  sculpta,  Lesqx.,  if  not  identical  with  it.  The  same  work  men- 
tions also,  as  found  in  the  lowest  strata  of  the  Permian  Measures,  Lepidoden- 
dron Veltheimianum,  already  present  in  the  Devonian  of  Europe,  and  with  us 
in  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones  of  Illinois,  and  with  it  he  describes  a 

(1)  Perm.  Geol.  Rep.,  p.  829,  fig.  675,  677. 

(2)  A  shale  of  this  kind  is,  by  an  abrupt  flexure  of  the  coal  strata,  thrown  up  near  Trevor- 
ton,  and  exposed  as  a  perpendicular  wall. 


504  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

few  species  of  cones  (Lepidostrobi)  of  diminutive  size,  indicating  there  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  large  Lycopodiaceous  plants  which  afterwards  were  not  re- 
presented in  any  of  the  formations  of  our  earth. 

The  fruits  described  under  the  generic  names  of  Trigonocarpus,  Rhabdocarpus, 
and  Ptilocarpus,  have  as  yet  been  found  only  from  the  Sub-Conglomerate  coal 
strata  upwards  to  coal  No.  2.  They  abound  in  the  Millstone  grit  and  the 
hearth  sandstone,  as  in  the  shale  of  coal  No.  2.  A  few  fruits  of  uncertain 
affinity,  and  considered  under  the  name  of  Carpolithes,  have  been  observed 
higher  in  the  Measures  ;  for  example,  Carpolithesfasciculatus,  at  Grayville,  Ills. 
As  yet  these  cases  are  very  rare. 

As  to  the  ferns,  the  distribution  at  different  horizons  is  more  striking  in 
considering  certain  groups  or  races,  rather  than  peculiar  genera  or  species. 
The  genus  Neuropteris,  for  example,  is  equally  well  represented,  from  the  Sub- 
Conglomerate  coal  of  Arkansas  to  the  highest  strata  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ken- 
tucky, by  Neuropteris  hirsuta,  Neuropteris  flexuosa,  and  Neuropteris  Loschii,  all 
species  closely  related  by  their  peculiar  nervation.  These  are,  moreover, 
universally  distributed  over  the  whole  extent  of  our  coal  fields,  and  in  Europe 
two,  at  least,  ascend  to  the  Permian.  From  this  group,  Neuropteris  tenuifolia 
is  the  only  one  which,  appearing  with  the  Sub-Conglomerate  coal,  has  not  as 
yet  been  found  higher  than  coal  No.  2.  Another  section  of  this  genus,  espe- 
cially comprising  species  of  a  coarse  or  thick  nervation  or  texture,  like  Neu- 
ropteris Clarksonii,  N.  rctrinervis,  N.  vermicularis,  N.  coriacea,  N.  pachyderm®, 
etc.,  is  as  yet  truly  characteristic  of  coal  No.  2,  none  of  them  having  as  yet 
been  found  above  or  below  it.  All  the  species  of  the  genus  Odontopteris  ap- 
pear distributed  from  the  coal  strata  under  the  Millstone  grit  up  to  coal  No.  1 
and  No.  2.  In  Illinois,  as  in  Pennsylvania,  most  of  the  species  are  found  in 
connection  with  the  last  bed.  It  is  the  same  with  the  species  of  large,  thick 
leaved  Alethopteris,  A.  lonchitica,  A.  Serlii,  A.  Mazoniana,  A.  Massillonis, .  A, 
Owenii,  etc.  They  form,  with  Callipteris  Sullivantii,  a  distinct  and  peculiar 
group,  which  may  be  considered  truly  characteristic  of  coal  No.  2.  AktJiopteris 
lonchitica,  has  always  been  for  me  an  essential  leading  species,  and  never,  as 
yet,  has  misled  me  as  marking  the  horizon  of  the  mammoth  vein  of  Penna. 
In  the  east,  it  is  a  most  common  species ;  it  abounds  also  at  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
Ohio ;  but  it  seems  to  disappear  in  some  basins,  as  for  example  in  Illinois, 
where  its  place  is  taken  by  Alethopteris  Serlii  and  Callipteris  Sullivantii. 

Of  Pecopteris,  the  section  which  Brongniart  separates  under  the  name  of 
Sphenopteroides,  and  which  Schimper  rightly  places  in  the  genus  SphenopteriS} 
is  the  only  one  which  may  be  considered  as  yet  as  peculiar  to  the  lower  Coal 
Measures.  Its  species,  Pecopteris  Murrayana,  P.  chosrophylloides,  P.  Newlerryi. 
with  Sphenopteris  latifolia,  S.  oltusiloba,  and  8.  acuta}  are  found  in  connection 


FOSSIL   PLANTS.  505 

with  coal  No.  2.  Hymenophyllites  furcatus  has  more  generally  been  found  be- 
low the  Millstone  grit,  but  it  ascends,  though  rarely,  to  coal  No.  2,  where  also 
Hymenopliyllites  splendens,  If.  Scklotheimii  and  some  other  species  of  the  section 
Aphlebia  are  generally  found. 

As  representative  of  the  higher  coal  strata  of  Illinois,  or  of  coal  No.  5,  there 
is  no  particular  species  to  quote.     AletTiopteris  aquilina,  with  Pecopteris  unita,  P. 
plumosa,   Cordaites  angustifolia,  and  species  of  Lepidophloios,  are  there  repre- 
sented by  more  abundant  specimens  than  anywhere  else,  but  remains  of  these 
plants  have  been  also  observed  in  the  lower  Coal  Measures.     In  the  anthracite 
basin  of  Pennsylvania,  the  highest  strata  are  recognized  by  the  presence  of 
Pecopteris  arborescens,  which  has  not  been  as  yet  positively  discovered  in  Illi- 
nois, the  small  specimens  referred  to  it  from  a  nodule  of  Mazon  creek  being 
too  obscure  for  certain  identification;     This  species,  the  most  abundant  of  all 
in  some  localities  of  Pennsylvania,  is  found  also  in  profusion  in  the  red  clay 
beds  of  Ohio,  especially  in  the  grotto  of  flowers,  near  Marietta,  where  it  is 
represented  by  a  slightly  different  form,  perhaps  a  mere  variety  of  P.  rubra, 
Lesqx.     In  Europe,  it  ascends  to  the  Permian,  where  its  characters,  though 
somewhat  modified,  have  been  considered  as  specific  by  Goppert,  who  has 
named  it  P.  ( Cyatheites)  Sclilotheimii.     It  is  there,  as  with  us,  associated  with 
its  large  form  P.  Cyathea,  Brgt.     The  section  Cyatheites  of  the  genus  Pecopte- 
ri&,  is,  indeed,  of  all  the  fossil  ferns  of  the  coal,  the  one  which  is,  in  some  of 
its  species,  characteristic  of  the  higher  coal  strata.     But  as  yet  these  species 
are  indifferently  known,  and  therefore  it  is  hardly  possible  to  indicate  them  as 
peculiar  to  a  certain  horizon.     For  example,  Pecopteris  polymorpha,  Brgt., 
abounds  in  the  highest  coal  strata  of  Illinois  at  Grayville,  and  near  New  Har- 
mony, Ind.     It  is  generally  like  P.  arborescens,  a  marked  species  of  our  upper 
Coal  Measures,  while  Pecopteris  abbrcviata,  which  Prof.   Geinitz  takes  as  a 
mere  variety  of  it,  is  common  at  Morris,  Mazon  creek  and  other  places,  always 
in  connection  with  coal  No.  2,  and  has  not  yet  been  observed  in  higher  strata. 
The  differences  in  these  horizons,  as  well  as  in  the  form  of  the  pinnae,  indicate 
these  remains  as  representing  two  different  species,  though  the  nervation  is  of 
the  same  kind.     It  is  certain  that,  as  the  Lycopodiaceous  plants  of  the  coal 
decrease  in  the  number  of  their  representatives,  as  in  their  size,  in  ascending 
in   the  Coal  Measures,  they  are  proportionally  replaced  by  ferns,  either  herba- 
ceous or  arborescent.     This  change  is  everywhere  evident  in  the  shale  over- 
laying the  coal  beds,  as  in   the  coal  itself.     At  Grayville,  and  especially  at 
Springfield,  111.,  where  the  upper  coal  is  nearly  200  feet  above   coal  No.  5, 
the  lamellae  of  the  coal  bear  a  quantity  of  recognizable  leaflets  and  branches 
of  ferns,  especially  of  the  genus   Pecopteris.     The  roof  shales  of  the  Pomroy 
coal  in  Ohio  are  thickly  covered  with  remains  of  ferns,  especially  large'pinnje, 
still  bearing  leaves  of  Neuropteris  flexuosa  and  N.  hirsuta.     A  bed  of  shale, 
—64 


506  PALEONTOLOGY  OP  ILLINOIS. 

which  in  places  underlies  the  Pittsburg  coal,  is  also  a  mere  compound  of  stems 
and  leaves  of  this  last  species,  and  I  have  received  from  the  highest  coal  bed 
of  Kansas,  which  is  considered  by  some  geologists  as  belonging  to  the  Permian 
strata,  a  large  lot  of  specimens  of  the  roof  shale,  which,  like  those  from  under 
the  Pittsburg  coal,  contain  leaves  of  the  same  Neuropteru  hirsuta  heaped  in 
profusion,  without  any  other  species  but  JV.  Loschii. 

From  the  horizon  of  the  Pittsburg  coal,  we  have  from  Pennsylvania  two  re- 
markable species,  whose  discovery  is  due  to  the  sagacious  investigation  of  Rev. 
D.  C.  Moore,  and  which,  by  their  characters,  appear  related  rather  to  species  of 
the  Permian,  or  even  of  the  Oolite,  than  to  those  of  the  Carboniferous  epoch. 
One  is  the  peculiar  Neuropteris  JMoorii,  Lesqx.,  Penn.  Geol.  Kept.,  p.  860,  PL 
xix,  fix.  1,*  related  by  the  pointed  form  of  its  leaflets  and  their  size  to  Pecop- 
teris  Whitbiensis,  LI.  and  Hutt.,  of  the  Oolite  of  England.  The  second  is 
apparently  a  species  of  Schizoneum,  a  new  genus  of  Schimper,  represented  as 
yet  by  only  four  species  in  the  Trias  and  the  Oolite  of  Europe.  Our  species 
is  known  only  by  small  branches,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  broad,  striated  length- 
wise, like  those  of  a  Sphenophyllum,  articulated  at  short  distances,  bearing  at 
the  articulations  whorls  of  ten  to  twelve  ob lanceolate  obtuse  flat  leaflets,  about 
one  inch  long,  marked  lengthwise  by  parallel  thin  veinleta.  These  leaflets  ap- 
pear distinct  or  unconnected  to  their  base,  which  is  marked  by  small,  circular, 
distinct  scars.  No  trace  of  a  vagina  has  been  observed  as  yet. 

The  presence  of  these  peculiar  plants  in  the  higher  Coal  Measures  of  Penn- 
sylvania may  not  be  more  conclusive,  as  indicating  a  distinct  geological  horizon, 
than  are  the  numerous  remains  of  insects,  crustaceans,  etc.,  discovered  in  the 
nodules  of  Mazon  creek,  and  which  have  as  yet  their  relatives  only  represented 
in  the  Permian.  But  I  desire  to  make  here  only  a  record  of  facts,  according  to 
our  actual  knowledge,  in  regard  to  the  flora  of  the  Coal  Measures,  and  leave  to 
future  discoverers  the  task  of  obtaining  more  reliable  data  for  a  definitive  con- 
clusion on  the  subject. 

The  examination  of  the  geographical  distribution  of  the  flora  of  our  Car- 
boniferous strata,  according  to  the  suggestions  of  Prof.  H.  D.  Rogers,  in  the 
preparation  of  the  Pennsylvania  Geological  Report,  proposes  the  solution  of 
these  three  questions:  1st.  What  is  the  geological  relation  of  our  Coal  Mea- 
sures with  those  of  Europe,  in  considering  the  vegetable  constituents  of  the 
strata  in  both  continents  ?  2d.  From  the  same  kind  of  researches,  is  the  anthra- 
cite basin  of  Pennsylvania  identical  in  its  age  and  in  the  distribution  of  its 
measures  with  the  great  Apalachian  bituminous  coal  basin  of  Ohio  and  Penn- 
sylvania ?  And  as  a  corollary  :  3d.  What  is  the  geological  relation  of  the  sepa- 

*Prof.  W.  P.  Schimper  has  separated  this  species  as  the  type  of  a  new  genus  Lescuropteris^ 
a  separation  already  indicated  by  my  remarks  with  the  description  of  this  species,  loc.  cit. 


FOSSIL  PLANTS.  507 

rate  coal  basins  of  Western  Kentucky,  Illinois  and  Michigan  with  our  eastern 
coal  fields  ?  The  first  two  of  these  questions  have  been  examined  and  answered 
in  the  Geological  Report  of  Pennsylvania,  pp.  839-842.  Though  new  discove- 
ries might  now  furnish  some  interesting  details  to  the  discussion,  nothing  has 
as  yet  been  found  in  the  Coal  Measures,  which  might  tend  to  invalidate  the 
conclusions  admitted  in  that  report.  The  third  question  has  been  also  consid- 
ered* from  data  obtained  in  the  geological  explorations  of  Kentucky,  Arkansas 
and  Indiana,  and  therefore  I  have  but  to  add  here  a  few  remarks  which  are 
called  for  by  the  species  recently  found  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois. 

We  cannot  expect  to  trace  any  marked  differences  indicating  climatic  divi- 
sions from  the  northern  to  the  southern  limits  of  the  coal  fields  of  Illinois. 
Local  changes,  as  indicated  from  the  table  of  distribution,  can  but  be  consid- 
ered as  casual,  and  not  ascribed  to  any  permanent  or  general  thermal  influence. 

The  relation  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois  with  the  eastern  coal  fields  of 
Pennsylvania,  Rhode  Island  and  Nova  Scotia,  is  indicated  not  only  by  the  com- 
mon or  more  predominant  species,  but  also  by  some  rare  and  striking  ones. 
The  coal  of  Morris,  for  example,  has,  in  common  with  that  of  Newport,  R.  I., 
Pecopteris  squamosa,  Pecopteris  unita,  Odontopteris  Schlotlieimii  and  Asterophyl- 
lites  loBvis  ;  with  the  low  beds  of  anthracite  of  Pennsylvania,  Callipteris  Sulli- 
vantii,  Neuropteris  Jimbriata,  N.  rai'wervis,  N.  Clarksonii,  N'.  Desorii,  etc., 
and  with  the  Coal  Measures  of  Nova  Scotia:  Odontopteris  subcuneata,  a  species 
not  seen  as  yet  in  any  other  part  of  the  coal  fields  of  the  United  States.  Some 
species  of  the  eastern  basin,  lilce  Neuropteris  Rogersl,  Lesqx.,  Odontopteris 
aluta,  Lesqx.,  Alethoptei-is  obscura,  Lesqx.,  Whittleseya  elegans  ,Newb.5etc.,  have 
not  yet  been  found  in  Illinois  •  but  these  are  very  rare  species,  discovered  each 
at  a  single  locality,  as  are  some  of  the  new  species  described  from  the  coal  fields 
of  Illinois,  and  which  may  be  found  elsewhere  hereafter.  Illinois  has  likewise 
about  30  species  known  in  the  coal  flora  of  Europe,  and  which  have  not  been 
yet  seen  in  the  more  eastern  coal  fields  of  America. 

Of  the  common  species  of  our  eastern  coal  fields,  not  yet  found  in  Illinois, 
none  can  be  quoted  but  Dictyopteris  obliqua,  Bunb.,  locally  abundant  in  the 
shale  of  the  high  coal  near  Pottsville,  Penn.,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  of  the  sub- 
conglomerate  coal  of  Arkansas;  Sphenopteris  artemisvEfolia,  Brgt.,  rare  every- 
where, sparingly  found  in  the  low  beds  of  the  anthracite  basin  of  Pennsylva- 
nia and  of  the  western  coal  fields  of  Kentucky  ;  Pecopteris  arborescens,  already 
quoted;  Pecopteris  Loschii  and  the  peculiar  Brackyphylkim  obtitsum,  Lesqx., 
both  locally  predominant  in  the  anthracite  fields.  The  near  relation  of  the  coal 
basin  of  Illinois  with  the  other  coal  fields  of  this  continent,  is  thus  demonstra- 
ted by  its  fossil  flora. 

*  Journal  of  Science  and  Art,  July,  1860. 


508  PALAEONTOLOGY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

The  number  of  European  species  recognized  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Illinois 
do  not  change  in  any  way  the  relation  of  the  American  Coal  Measures  with 
those  of  Europe.  It  remains  now  the  same  as  I  have  presented  it  formerly 
(Penn.  Geol.  Rep.,  loc.  cit.).  If  general  affinity  is  ascertained  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  plants,  either  identical  or  closely  related,  geographical  differences  in  the 
vegetation  are  indicated  by  peculiar  species  or  races  of  ours,  which  as  yet  have 
not  been  observed  in  the  Coal  Measures  of  Europe.  It  is  true  that  European 
palaeontologists,  though  at  work  on  the  coal  flora  for  more  than  a  century,  still 
discover  species,  either  identical  with  or  allied  to  some  of  ours,  which  were 
once  considered  as  exclusively  pertaining  to  the  American  coal  flora ;  for  ex- 
ample, a  fimbriate  Cyclopteris*  from  a  small  anthracite  basin  of  the  Swiss  Al- 
pine mountains.  But  these  cases  are  very  rare  indeed,  and  besides  what  is 
known  from  other  parts  of  our  coal  fields,  Illinois  has  now  furnished  a  number 
of  these  peculiar  types  of  vegetables,  which  render  geographical  disparity  more 
appreciable.  Of  this  kind  are  especially  Neuropteris  verbenirfolia,  JV.  Evenii, 
N.  pachyderma,  Dictyopteris  rubella,  Alethopteris  hymenophylloides,  A.  inflata, 
A.  solida,  Pecopteris  Strongii,  species  of  Stapliylopteris,  /Sphenopteris  scaberri- 
ma,  Hymenophyllites  mollis,  /Schutzia  bractenta,  a  number  of  species  of  Lepido- 
dendra  and  Sigillaria,  Syringodendron  Porteri,  MegapTiytum  McLayii,  species 
of  Caulopteris  and  of  fruits  of  Palseoxyris.  Indeed,  no  genus  of  our  coal  flora, 
except,  perhaps,  Calamites,  can  be  considered  as  represented  on  both  continents 
by  species  all  identical  or  closely  allied.  As  these  points  of  difference,  like 
those  of  affinity,  have  been  observed  from  the  beginning  of  the  researches  on 
the  coal  flora,  and  have  not  varied  much  in  comparative  quantity,  they  appear 
to  fully  corroborate  the  statement  that,  at  the  Carboniferous  epoch,  the  flora 
which  formed  the  constituents  of  the  coal,  was  in  Europe  and  in  the  United 
States  as  different,  and  at  the  same  time  as  relatively  alike,  as  is  now  the  flora 
of  the  peat  bogs  of  the  two  continents. 

*  Cyclopteris  lacerata,  Heer.,  see  descriptive  part.  The  predominant  species  of  this  Alpine 
basin,  which  was  fora  long  time  considered  as  of  a  different  formation  from  that  of  the  Car- 
boniferous epoch,  is  Odontopteris  Alpina,  Brgt.,  a  peculiar  plant,  which,  as  yet,  with  uSjhaa 
been  found  only  in  connection  with  the  anthracite  of  Rhode  Island. 


INDEX. 


Adams  county,  geology  of 43 

Adams  county,  Quaternary  system  in 44 

Adams  county,  Coal  Measures  in 48 

Adams  county,  St.  Louis  limestone  in  . .  51 

Adams  county,  Keokuk  limestone  in 68 

Adams  county,  Burlington  limestone  in. .   55 

Adams  county,  Kinderhook  group  in 57 

Adams  county,  economical  geology  of. ...  58 

Adams  county,  soil  and  timber  in 60 

Alethopteris 391 

Alethopteris  crenulata 392 

Alethopteris  cristata 395 

Alethopteris  erosa 394 

Alethopteris  emarginata 398 

Alethopteris  falcata 396 

Alethopteris  Hallii 394 

Alethopteris  Hymenophylloides 393 

AJethopteris  longifolia 469 

Alethopteris  lanceolata .398 

Alethopteris  Mazoniana 891 

Alethopteris  muricata 395 

Alethopteris  Pluckneti 895 

Alethopteris  Pennsylvaniaca 469 

Alethopteris  eolida 397 

Alethopteris  spinulosa 396 

Amblipterus  macropterus 348 

Annularia  inflata 423 

Annularia  longifolia 422 

Antliodus  sarcululus 356 

Aphlebia 410  and  414 

Asterocarpus  grandis 469 

Asteroptychius  triangularis ....  370 

Asterophyllites  grandis 424 

Asterophyllites  foliosus 424 

Asterophyllites  rigidus 424 

Asterophyllites  tuberculatus 424 

Brown  county,  geology  of 62 

Brown  county,  Quaternary  system  in 63 


PAGE. 

Brown  county,  Coal  Measures  in 66 

Brown  county,  St.  Louis  limestone  in. ...  68 

Brown  county,  Keokuk  group  in 69 

Brown  county,  economical  geology  of. ...  70 
Brown  county,  soil  and  agriculture 73 

Callipteris  Sullivantii 468 

Carpolithes  bullatus 463 

Carpolithes  corticosus 462 

Carpolithes  persicaria 462 

Cass  and  Menard  counties,  geology  of. . .  163 
Cass  and  Menard  counties,  Coal  Measures 

in 165 

Cass  and  Menard  counties,  economical  ge- 
ology of 173 

Calhoun  county,  geology  of. 1 

Calhoun  county,  St.  Peters  sandstone  in . .     3 

Calhoun  county,  Trenton  group  in 4 

Calhoun  county,  Cincinnati  group  in 5 

Calhoun  county,  Niagara  limestone  in... .     6 

Calhoun  county,  Hamilton  group  in 8 

Calhoun  county,  Kinderhook  group  in ....  9 
Calhoun  county,  Burlington  limestone  in.  12 

Calhoun  county,  Keokuk  limestone  in 14 

Calhoun  county,  St.  Louis  limestone  in. . .   15 

Calhoun  county,  Coal  Measures  in 15 

Calhoun  county,  Quaternary  system  in. ...  17 
Calhoun  county,  economical  geology  of. ..  18 
Calhoun  county,  soil  and  agriculture  of. .  22 

Cap  au  Ores,  fault 2 

Caulopteris  acantophora 458 

Caulopteris  intermedia 459 

Caulopteris  obtecta 467 

Champaign  and  Ford  counties,  geology  of.. 272 

Chondrites  Colletti 379 

Coal,  analyses  of.  .33,  50,  58,  85,  86,  104, 

105,  257,  259,  316 

Coal  shaft,  Jacksonville 159 

Coal  shaft,  Bloomington 186 


II 


INDEX. 


Coal  shaft,  Braidwood 213 

Coal  shaft,  Martin's,  Mercer  county 803 

Coal  shaft,  Bradford,  Stark  county 327 

Coal  shaft,  S.  C.  Francis',  Stark  county.  .326 

Coal  shaft,  Metamora 337 

Coal  shaft,  Minonk 338 

Cladodus  deflexus 355 

Cladodus  elegans 354 

Cladodus  ischypus 354 

Cochliodus  costatus 364 

Cordaites  angustifolia 420 

Ctenacanthus  Mayi »    872 

Cymatodus 363 

Cymatodus  oblongus 364 

DeKalb,  Kane  and  Dupage  counties,  geolo- 
gy of HI 

DeKalb,  Kane  and  DuPage  counties,  arte- 
sian well  in 114 

DeKalb,  Kane  and  DuPage  counties,  Nia- 
gara group  in 114 

DeKalb,  Kane  and  DuPage  counties,  Cin- 
cinnati group  in 121 

DeKalb,  Kane  and  DuPage  counties,  Tren- 
ton group  in 122 

DeKalb,  Kane  and  DuPage  counties,  econo- 
mical geology  of 123 

Deltodus  alatus 368 

Deltodus  angustus 368 

Deltodus  fasciatus 366 

Deltodus  Littoni 367 

Dictyopteris 388 

Dictyopteris  rubella 388 

Edestus  Heinrichsii. 850 

Edestus  vorax 350 

Edgar  county,  geology  of 266 

Edgar  county,  section  of  rocks  in 267 

Equisetites 425 

Equisetites  occidentalis    425 

Fossil  fishes,  remarks  on 345 

Fossil  plants 377 

Fossil  plants,  distribution  of.   500 

Fossil  plants,  list  of 471 

Fossil  plants,  preserved  in  coaP 478 

Fossil  plants,  preserved  in  shale 479 

Fossil  plants,  preserved  in  concretions. .  .481 
Fossil  plants,  preserved  by  mineralization.488 
Fossil  plants,  affinities  of 489 


Fulton  county,  geology  of. 90 

Fulton  county,  Coal  Measures  in 93 

Fulton  county,  conglomerate  in 102 

Fulton  county,  St.  Louis  limestone  in. . .  .103 
Fulton  county,  economical  geology  of. . .  .103 
Fulton  county,  list  of  trees  in '. .  109 

Grundy  county,  geology  of. 190 

Grundy  county,  Post  Tertiary  beds  in. .    .  .191 

Grundy  county,  Coal  Measures  in 194 

Grundy  county,  Cincinnati  group  in 200 

Grundy  county,  Trenton  limestone  in. . .  .201 
Grundy  county,  St.  Peters  sandstone  in..  .201 
Grundy  county,  economical  geology  of.  .  .202 
Grundy  county,  artesian  wells  in 205 

Halonia 450 

Halonia  tuberculata 451 

Helodus  compressus 360 

Helodus  rugosus ,    .  359 

Henderson  county,  geology  of. 276 

Henderson  county,  Coal  Measures  in 278 

Henderson  county,  Keokuk  group  in 279 

Henderson  county,  Burlington  limestone  in281 
Henderson  county,  Kinderhook  group  in.  .285 
Henderson  county,  economical  geology  of  286 

Hydraulic  limestone 40,  205 

Hymenophyllites 410 

Hymenophyllites  alatus 41 1 

Hymenophyllites  adnascens  .... 414 

Hymenophyllites  arborescens 415 

Hymenophyllites  Clarkii 416 

Hymenophyllites  delicatulus 412 

Hymenophyllites  furcatus 470 

Hymenophyllites  Gutbierianus 416 

Hymenophyllites  inflatus 414 

Hymenophyllites  lactuca 415 

Hymenophyllites  mollis 418 

Hymenophyllites  myriophyllum 412 

Hymenophyllites  Schlotheimii 412 

Hymenophyllites  splendens 413 

Hymenophyllites  Strongii 417 

Hymenophyllites  tenuifolius 413 

Hymenophyllites  thallyformis 417 

Hymenophyllites  trichomanoides 411 

Hymenophyllites  tridactylites 411 

Iron  ore 21,  87,  106,  174,  223,  285,  262 

Iron  ore,  analyses  of 87 

Kankakee  and  Iroquois  counties,geology  of.  226 
Kankakee  and  Iroquois  counties,  Drift  in . .  229 


INDEX. 


Ill 


Kankakee  and  Iroquois  counties,  Coal  Mea-    ; 

sures  in 231 

Kankakee  and  Iroquois  counties,  Niagara 

limestone  in 232 

Kankakee  and  Iroquois  counties,  Cincinna- 
ti group  in 233 

Kankakee  and  Iroquois  counties,  economi- 
cal geology  of , 234 

Kankakee  and  Iroquois  counties,  ancient 

valley  in 23*7 

Kendall  county,  geology  of 136 

Kendall  county,  Coal  Measures  in 138 

Kendall  county,  Niagara  group  in 139 

Kendall  county,  Trenton  limestone  in. . .  .143 
Kendall  county,  St.  Peters  sandstone  in..  .146 
Kendall  county,  economical  geology  of. . .  147 

Knorria 445 

Knox  county,  geology  of. 813 

Knox  county,  Coal  Measures  in 314 

Knox  county,  economical  geology  of. 322 

Lepidodendron 428 

Lepidodendron  cruciatum 432 

Lepidodendron  elegans 433 

Lepidodendron  forulatum 431 

Lepidodendron  gracile 433 

Lepidodendron  Greenii 433 

Lepidodendron  modulatum .430 

Lepidodendron  Morrisianum 430 

Lepidodendron  mammillatum 432 

Lepidodendron  rigens 429 

Lepidodendron  Tijoui 431 

Lepidophloios  auriculatum 439 

Lepidophloios  laricinum 440 

Lepidophloios  protuberans 440 

Lepidostrobus 440 

Lepidostrobus  connivens 442 

Lepidostrobus  lancifolius 442 

Lepidostrobus  oblongifolius 441 

Lepidostrobus  ornatus 443 

Lepidostrobus  ovatifolius. 441 

Lepidostrobus  truncatus 442 

Lepidophyllum  foliaceum .444 

Lepidophyllum  rostellatum .443 

Lepidophyllum  striatum 443 

Listracanthus 371 

Listracanthus  hystrix 372 

Lophodus 360 

Lophodus  variabilis 361 

Lycopodites  annulariaefolius  426 

Lycopodites  Meekii 426 


McHenry  and  Lake  counties,  geology  of.  .126 
McHenry  and  Lake  counties,  Drift  depo- 
sits in 129 

McHenry    and    Lake    counties,    Niagara 

group  in 131 

McHenry  and  Lake  counties,  Cincinnati 

group  in 132 

McHenry  and  Lake  counties,  economical 

geology  of 183 

Mercer  county,  geology  of 301 

Mercer  county,  Loess  and  Drift  in 302 

Mercer  county,  Coal  Measures  in 302 

Mercer  county,  Kinderhook  group  in 807 

Mercer  county,  economical  geology  of. ...  807 
Mercer  county,  soil  and  agriculture  of. . .  .311 

Morgan  county,  geology  of. 149 

Morgan  county,  Coal  Measures  in 151 

Morgan  county,  St.  Louis  limestone  in. .  .160 
Morgan  county,  economical  geology  of. . .  .161 

Neuropteris.    380 

Neuropteris  angustifolia 467 

Neuropteris  capitata 388 

Neuropteris  Collinsi. 382 

Neuropteris  coriacea 387 

Neuropteris  crenulata 468 

Neuropteris  fimbriata 384 

Neuropteris  fasciculata. . . . , 381 

Neuropteris  hirsuta 380 

Neuropteris  inflata 387 

Neuropteris  microphylla  . . . : 467 

Neuropteris  rarinervis  386 

Neuropteris  verbenaefolia 385 

Neuropteris  vermicularis 385 

Odontopteris  Bradleyi 390 

Odontopteris  £chlotheimii 391 

Odontopteris  subcuneata 390 

Orodus  corrugatus 358 

Pachypteris 419 

Pachypteris  gracillima 419 

Palaeoniscus  gracilis 347 

Palaeoxyris 464 

Palaeoxyris  appendiculata 465 

Palseoxyris  corrugata 466 

Palasoxyris  Prendeli 464 

Peat,  deposits  of 124,  134,148 

Pecopteris  abbreviate 403 

Pecopteris  arguta 402 

Pecopteris  aspidioides 403 

Pecopteris  Bucklandi 401 


IV 


INDEX. 


Pecopteris  chcerophylloides 404 

Pecopteris  dentata 404 

Pecopteris  elegans 408 

Pecopteris  flavicans 404 

Pecopteris  hemiteloides 401 

Pecopteris  villosa 402 

Peltodus 862 

Peltodus  unguiformis 868 

Petalodus  curtus. ." 355 

Petrodus  pustulosus 869 

Physonemus  gigas 873 

Pike  county,  geology  of 24 

Pike  county,  Niagara  limestone  in 26 

Pike  county,  Kinderhook  group  in 27 

Pike  county,  Burlington  limestone  in. ...  29 

Pike  county,  Keokuk  group  in 31 

Pike  county,  St.  Louis  group  in 82 

Pike  county,  Coal  Measures  in 82 

Pike  county,  Quaternary  system  in 35 

Pike  county,  economical  geology  of 37 

Platysomus  circularis 847 

Poecilodus  convolutus. 866 

Polyrhizodus  Littoni 357 

Polyrhizodus  truncatus 357 

Potters'  clay 60,  71,  86, 162,  204,^221,  262 

Rhabdocarpus 461 

Rhabdocarpus  clavatus 461 

Rhabdocarpus  mammillatus 461 

Rizodus  reticulatus 849 

Riuodus 374 

Sandalodus  missus 369 

Schizopteris 411,  418 

Schutzia 427 

Schutzia  bracteata 427 

Schuyler  county,  geology  of 76 

Schuyler  county,  Quaternary  system  in . . ,    76 

Schuyler  county,  Coal  Measures  in 77 

Schuyler  county,  St.  Louis  group  in 84 

Schuyler  county,  Keokuk  group  in 84 

Schuyler  county,  economical  geology  of. ..  85 

Sigillariae  semina 463 

Sigillaria  alternans 447 

Sigillaria  I'istii 447 

Sigillaria  coirugat^ , , «.••••  445 

Sigillaria  Massiliensis   .....' 448 

Sjgillaria  spinulosa 447 

Sigillarioides 449 

Sigillarioides  radicans ,    . .  .449 

Sigjllarioides  stellaris .4,50 


Sphenopteris  elegans 410 

Sphenopteris  gracilis 408 

Sphenopteris  mixta 409 

Sphenopteris  scaberrima 408 

Sphenopteris  trifoliata 410 

Sphenophyllum  cornutum 421 

Sphenophyllum  filiculmis 422 

Springs,  mineral 22,  80, 148,  189 

Springs,  Perry 40 

Springs,  Versailles 73 

Staphylopteris 405 

Staphylopteris  asteroides 406 

Staphylopteris  sagittatus 407 

Staphylopteris  Wortheni 405 

Stark  county,  geology  of 325 

Stark  county,  Quaternary^deposits  in 326 

Stark  county,  Coal  Measures  in 326 

Stark  county,  economical  geology  of.    ...  330 
Stark  county,  soil  and  agriculture  of . . .    .  333 

Stigmaria  elliptica 461 

Stigmaria  umbonata 452 

Stigmarioides 452 

Stigmarioides  aflinis 455 

Stigmarioides  linearis 455 

Stigmarioides  selago 458 

Stigmarioides  truncatus 453 

Stigmarioides  villosus 454 

Stigmarioides?  rugosus 470 

Syringodendron  cyclostigma  449 

Syringodendron  pes-capreoli 448 

Syringodendron  Porteri 448 

Tazewell,  McLean,  Logan  and  Mason  coun- 
ties, geology  of 176 

Tazewell,  McLean,  Logan  and  Mason  coun- 
ties, boundaries  of. 176 

Tazewell,  McLean,  Logan  and  Mason  coun- 
ties, geological  formations  in 177 

Tazewell,  McLean,  Logan  and  Mason  coun- 
ties, Drift  section  of 178 

Tazewell,  McLean,  Logan  and  Mason  coun- 
ties, Coal  Measures  In 179 

Tazewell,  McLean,  Logan  and  Mason  coun- 
ties, economical  geology  of. 1 8/7 

Trigonocarpum  noeggerathii 460 

Trigonocarpum  olivaeformis 460 

Ulodendron 434 

Ulodendron  elongatum , 437 

Ulodendron  ellipticum ^ 486 

Ulodendron  jnqjus 435 


INDEX. 


Ulodendron  punetatuni 


PAGE. 

..438 


Vermilion  county,  geology  of   241 

Vermilion  county,  Loess  in 242 

Vermilion  county,  Drift  in 242 

Vermilion  county,  Coal  Measures  in 244 

Vermilion  county,  economical  geology  of.  255 

Warren  county,  geology  of 288 

Warren  county,  Coal  Measures  in ......  289 

Warren  county,  Burlington  limestone  in.. 205 
Warren  county,  Kinderhook  group  in  ...297 
Warren  county,  economical  geology  of. .  .298 


Will  county,  geology  of 207 

Will  county,  Quaternary  beds  in . .  .208 

Will  county,  Coal  Measures  in 209 

Will  county,  Niagara  limestone  in 213 

Will  county,  Cincinnati  group  in 21G 

Will  county,  general  section  of  beds  in.  ..219 

Will  county,  economical  geology  of 219 

Will  comity,  comparison  of  levels  in 224 

Woodford  county,  geology  of 334 

Woodford  county,  Loess  and  Drift  in 335 

Woodford  county,  Coal  Measures  in 337 

Woodford  county,  economical  geology  of.  .340 
Woodford  county,  soil  and  agriculture  of.  .341 


E  R 11  A  T  A  . 


Page    22,  15th  lino  from  bottom,  tor  "oUV  read  older. 
Page    90, 15th  Hue  from  bottom,  for  "positions"  read  portions. 
Page    97,  Kith  line  Irom  top,  for  ''southeast"  read  southwest. 
Page  109, 15th  line  from  bottom,  lor  "Cophalunthus''  read  Cephalauthus. 
Page  110,  10th  line  from  top,  f.«r  "eriocephala"  read  eriocephala. 
Page  120,  llth  line  from  bottom,  for  "gas  I  era  pod"  read  gasteropod. 
Page  136,  8th  line  from  top,  f.ir  "three"  read  these 
I'age  16S,  12th  line  from  bottom,  ftr  "Koissi"'  read  Royssii. 
Page  184,  Kith  line  from  top,  for  "exactneas"'  read  exactness. 
Page  195,  8th  line  from  top,  for  "Crustareon"  read  Crustai  can. 
Page  195,  ISth  line  from  bottom,  f  >r  "Morgan"  read  Mazon. 
Page  201,  Kkh  line  Irom  top,  for  "fossil"  read  fossils. 
\Pagc  2-iii,  18t!i  line  from  top,  for  "oxide"'  read  ox;d. 
Jage  233,  3d  line  from  top,  for  "ara"'  read  are. 
'age  251,  20th  line  from  top.  for  "is  quite  it"  read  it  is  qni!o. 
ge  319,  Hith  line  from  top,  for  "Geineiizii"'  read  Geinitzii. 
re  S'56,  10th line  from  bottom,  for  'Tamarach''  read  Tamarack. 
e  :i50,  luth  line  from  top,  for  "enamelled"  read  enameled. 
1  "A  353,  llth  line  from  bottom,  for  "bHumizat'on"  read  bituminizatlon. 
£s6,  f>th  Hue  from  top,  for  "bevelled"  read  beveled. 

;jst  ]  11Ci  for  "are"  read  one. 

ll,  15th  line  from  top,  and  3C1,  4th line  from  bottom,  for  ''bevelled'"  read  beveled 
,  bottom  line,  for  "enamelled"  read  ennmetodi 
12th  tine  from  bottom,  for  "diversions"  read  divisions, 
jjth  line  from  bottom,  and  bottom  line,  (or  '-Brongnaiti"  read  Brongniarli. 
th  line  from  Bottom,  for  "coreaeeous"  read  coriaceous. 


opteris  Erdmauni. 


PLATE    I. 

PAfiE. 

Fig.  1 .  EDESTCS  HEXREICHSII,  N.  and  W 350 

1  a.         Side  view,  two-thirds  natural  size. 

1  b.         Section  of  the  same,  one-half  natural  size. 

Fig.  2.  EDKSTUS  VORAX,   Leidy 350 

Side  view  of  specimen,  natural  size. 


ii  a  TAJ 

. 

••hi)  lohaiii.  i 

.       .  .  -  :    7/  f)fii;  ./    ,j.i 

, 

!  ,'•!•>/  y. 

.iiyjiii'»'i<|-  Hliii: 

. 

. 

7/  lni. 




. 

908 

.Off 

v/ 1  i/i 

.oxifc  lirt:t> 

V/  lun  ,'M.nU 

.y,\ia  Iintuii/t  .ii-jitri'j'Xi*- '!<> '••)(;)•!• 

• 


PLATE    II. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1.  PHYSONEMCS  GIGAS,  N.  and  W 378 

1.  Lateral  view  of  spine,  natural  size.  t 

1  a.          One  of  the  anterior  tubercles  enlarged. 

Fig.  2.  CTENACANTHUS  MAYI,  N.  and  W 372 

2.  View  of  a  specimen  of  large  size,  imperfect  at  the  base. 

2  a.          Section  of  the  same. 

Fig.  3.  LISTRACANTHUS  HYSTRix,  N.  and  W 872 

3.  A  very  large  specimen,  natural  size. 

3  a.          View  of  a  very  small  specimen. 

Fig.  4.  ASTEROPTYCHIUS  TRIANGULAR^,  N.  and  W 370 

4.  Lateral  surface  of  a  specimen  of  medium  size,  imperfect  at  base  and  apex. 

Fig.  5.  PETRODUS  ?  PUSTULOSUS,  N.  and  W 369 

5.  Upper  surface  of  a  very  large  specimen. 
•  5  a.          Profile  of  the  same. 

Fig.  6.  DELTODUS  ALATITS,  N.  and  W 368 

Superior  surface  of  a  large  specimen,  natural  size. 

Fig.  7.  PELTODCS  TINGUIFORMIS,  N.  and  W 363 

7.  View  of  the  basal  and  anterior  crown  surface. 

7  a.         Profile  of  the  same. 

Fig.  8.  ANTLIODUS  SARCULULUS,  N.  and  W 356 

8.  Posterior  face,  natural  size. 

8  a,  86.  Anterior  face,  and  profile  of  the  same. 

PCECILODTIS  CONVOLUTUS,  N.  and  W 366 

View  of  superior  surface,  natural  size. 

10.  HELODUS  RITGOSTS,  N.  and  W 359 

10.  Posterior  face  of  specimen,  natural  size. 

10  a.        Profile  of  the  same. 


IB  O  K  a  IP-  IE  !B  <D 


Coal  Measures. 
&  Lower  CarL.  Limestone. 


Chs.  KWorthen  del. 


A.H.Woilhen   dirext 


,  .    /..ll 

.    . 
- 

. 


.89 

, 

8S8 

. 

. 

•V(H. 

.00  f 

•j.ial-J 



.  .      . 

• 

.fcl 


PLATE    III. 

PAGE. 

PLATYSOMUS  ORBICULARIS,  N".  and  W* 

View  of  specimen,  natural  size. 

Fig.    2.  PETALODUS  CURTUS,  N.  and  W 355 

.  2.  View  of  inner  face  of  specimen,  natural  size. 

2  a.        Section  of  the  same 

Fig.     3.  CLADODUS  DEFLEXUS,  N.  and  W 355 

3.  Anterior  face,  natural  Aze. 

3  a.        Ou  line  of  base  seen  from  below. 

Fig.    4.  PALAIONISCUS  GRACILIS,  N.  and  W 847 

View  of  specimen,  natural  size. 
Fig.    5.  DELTODUS  COMPLANATUS,  N.  and  W.,  vol  ii,  p.  98. 

5.  View  of  upper  surface  of  a  much  worn  specimen,  natural  size. 

8.  Basal  portion  of  a  larger  individual,  also  much  worn. 

Fig.    6.  PETRODUS  ?  PUSTULOSUS,  N.  and  W 369 

Upper  surface  of  a  small  specimen. 
Fig.    7.  DELTODUS  ANGUSTUS,  N.  and  W 368 

View  of  specimen,  natural  tuze,  and  enlargement  showing  the  character  of 

the  surface  punctation. 
Fig.    9.  RHIZODUS  RETICULATUS,  N.  and  W 349 

9.  View  of  a  scale  of  very  small  size. 

13.  View  of  a  very  large  specimen. 

14.  A  specimen  of  medium  size;  all  natural  size. 

Fig.  10.  COCHLIODUS  COSTATUS,  N.  and  W 364 

10.  "Third  "  tooth,  showing  crown  surface. 

12.  "  Second  "  tooth. 

12  a.  The  same,  seen  from  above. 

Fig.  11.  DELTODUS  SPATULATUS,  N.  and  W.,  vol.  ii,  p.  100. 

An  imperfect  specimen  of  medium  size,  seen  from  above. 
Fi<>-  15.  HELODUS  COMPRESSUS.  N.  and  W ..  360 

O 

15.  Posterior  face  of  tooth,  natural  size. 

15  a.        Profile  of  the  same. 

Fig.  16.  POLYRHIZODUS  TUUNCAius,  N.  and  W 3S7 

16.  Posterior  face,  natural  size. 

16  a.         Section  of  the  same. 

Fig.  17.  DELTODUS  FASCIATUS,  N.  and  W 366 

View  of  upper  surface  of  tooth,  natural  size. 
Fig.  1 8.  ORODCS  CORRUGATUS,  N.  and  W  , 358 

18.  View  of  a  series  of  teeth,  natural  size. 

18  a.        Profile  of  the  game. 


*  The  description  of  this  species  was  unfortunately  overlooked. 


rOL.lV 


PL.  Ill 


r  IJ131 


Coal    Measures   and 
Lower  Garb.  Limestone 


AlH  .Worthen  dirext 





.71 


:;ntH 
'ff  i'tji;  •  .S     .yt'i 

' 


, . ..554 

;<;/.  ,! 

• 

.       • 

. 

,•   If 
- 

. 


. 


PLATE    IV. 

PAKE. 
Fig.    1.  RHIZODUS  OOCCIDKNTAI.IS,  N.  and  W.,  vol.  ii,  p.  19. 

View  of  a  Fcale  preserved  in  f=ha!e,  natural  eiz<\ 
Fig.    2.  PLATYSOMCS  CIRCULARIS,  N.  and  W 347 

View  of  a  specimen  of  natural  size. 
Fig.    3.  SANDALODCS  CRASSUS,  N  and  W   369 

3.  Superior  surface  of  a  specimen  of  ordinary  size. 
3  a.         Section  of  the  same. 

Fig.    4.  LOPHODUS  VARIABILIS,  N.  and  W 361 

4.  Anterior  face  of  tooth,  natural  size. 

4t  a.  "  "  viewed  from  above. 

46.  "  "  posterior  face. 

fi,  5  a.  Anterior  and  posterior  of  another  specimen,  natural  size. 

11.  Anterior  face  of  central  ?  tooth,  natural  size. 

11  a.  Po  teri  r  face  of  the  same. 
116.  "  "  seen  in  profile. 

Fig.    6.  CLADODUS  ISCHYPUS,  N.  and  W 354 

6.  Anterior  face  of  tooth,  natural  size. 

6  a.  "  "  "  seen  in  profile. 

Fig.    7.  CYMATODUS  OBLONGUS,  JsT.  and  W 364 

7.  Crown  surface,  natural  size. 

7  a.         Profile  of  the  same. 

Fig.    8.  DELTODUS  LITTONI,  K  and  W 367 

8.  Upper  surface  of  a  specimen  of  large  size. 

8  a.         The  same,  seen  in  profile. 

Fig.    9.  CLADODUS  ELEGANS,  N.  and  W 3.j4 

View  of  the  posterior  face  of  tooth,  natural  size,  and  section  of  median  cone. 
Fig.  10.  POLYRHIZODUS  LITTONI,  X.  and  W 3C7 

10.  Anterior  face  of  tooth,  natural  size. 

10  a.         Section  of  the  same 


•QL.1V 


PL'-IV 


IK  19  iX  3  3PTF1  35  O  "t  8 


.*:>*'! 

IHJ; 


PLATE    V. 

PAGK. 

Fig.   1  to  4.  NKUROPTERIS  FASCIOI'LATA,  Sp.  uov 381 

Fig.  5  and  6.          N'KUROPTKRIS  COLUNSU,  Sp.  nov. , 382 


Coal    Measures 


Detail,      IFI.D.R.! 


A.H.Worthen  dirext 


. 
' 


PLATE    VI. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1.  NEUROPTERIS  VERMICULARIS,  Lesqx 385 

Fig.  1.  Enlarged  pinnule  of  the  same 

Fig.  '6.  Terminal  leaflet  of  a  pinna  of  the  same. 

Fig.  4.  NEPROPTERIS  FIMBRIATA,  Lesqx 384 

Fig.  5  and  6.  NEUROPTERIS  VERBENVEFOLIA,  Lesqx 385 


101 


CA:H  B  r>  .>•  I  f  ,fi  ,11  o  r  t 


Lesquereux   deL 


A.H_Worthen  dirext 


PLATE    VII. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1.  NEUROFTERIS  CAPITATA,  Sp.'nov 383 

Fig.  2  to  5.         DICIYOPTERIS  RUBELLA,  Sp.  nov 388 

Fig.  6.  Part  of  a  much  enlarged  pinnule  of  the  same. 


common  DWIB 


QJZ  U_L U  £/J  U J-\1L  £j 'UJf !  S^£T Jf  UL?  lilLliiHi^U  K£j 

UB  (  Coal  Measures  I 


Leo    Lesquereux  del 


A.H.Wbrthen   diroxt. 


PLATE    VIII. 

PAISK. 

Fig.       1  tO  4.          NEUROPTERIti  (CYCLOPTERIti)  RARIN'ERVIS  ?    Builb 386 

Fig.  5  and  6.  NKUROPTKRIS  RARINERVIS,  Bunb. 

Fig.  7.  NEUROPTERIS  CORIACEA,  Sp.  nov 387 

Fig.  g.  Pinnule  of  the  same  enlarged  twice. 

Fig.  9.  NKUROPTERIS  CAPITATA,  Sp.  nov 383 

Fig.  10.  ODONTOPTKRIS  SUBCUNKATA,  Bunb. . . .  , 390 

Fig.  11.  ODO.YTOPTEP.IS  BRADLEYI,  Sp.  nov 3'JO 


OKHIPHl  IR  OTD  8 


SSMJgL.D  M-SMS&* 

(  Coal    Measures 


Leo  Lesquereux  del. 


A.H-Worth'en  dirext 


PLATE    IX. 


Fig.  1  to  7.  ALKTHOPTKBIS  MAZOXIAXA,  Spec.  nov. 

Fi°-.  6  and  8.          Enlarged  pinnules  of  the  same. 


PAGK. 
..391 


TI  LIL?  XL 


(  Coal  Measures) 


Leo  Lesqufereux  del. 


A--H_"Wbrthen  dirext. 


PLATE    X. 

TAGK. 
Fig.  1  and  2.     ALKTHOPTERIS  IIYMKNOPHYLLOIDKS,  Spec,  nov /. 398 

Fig.  3  and  4.  Enlarged  pinnules  of  fig.  2. 

Fig.  5.  ALKTHOPTERIS  INFLATA,  Spec,  nov 393 

Fig.  6.  Enlarged  part  of  the  same. 

Fig.  7.  ALETHOPTERIS  HALLII,  Spec,  nov 894 

Fig.  8.  Enlarged  pinna  of  the  same. 


:B  .D  sr  3  IF 


PLATE    XI. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1 .         ALKTHOPTERIS  SPINTLOSA,  Spec,  nov 396 

Fig.  2.  Enlarged  pinnules  of  the  same,  showing  nervation. 

Fig.  3.  ALETHOPTERIS  FALCATA,  Spec,  nov 390 

Fig.  4.  Pinnule  of  the  same,  showing  nervation. 

Fig.  5.  ALETHOPTERIS  sou  DA,  Spec.  nov. 897 

Fig.  6.  Pinnule  of  the  same,  with  group  of  sporangrs. 

Fig.  7.  Group  of  sporanges,  much  enlarged. 


IV 


PL,.  XI 


B  -D  Tf  a  IFIW  IB 


PLATE    XII. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1  to  8.     FKCOPTERIS  SQUAMOSA,  Spec,  nov 400 

Fig.  4  Part  of  an  enlarged  pinna  of  the  same. 


A.H-Wbrthen  dirext 


PLATE    XIII. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1  and  3.       ALKTHOPTEIUS  LANCEOLATA,  Spec,  nov 398 

Fig.     2.  Enlarged  part  of  pinnule  of  the  same. 

Fig.     4.  ALETIIOPTERIS  EMARGINATA,  Gopp 398 

Fig.     5.  ALETHOPTERIS  MAZOXIANA.  Lesqx.  (Fruiting,) 891 

Fig.     t>.  Enlarged  pinnule  of  the  same. 

Fig.     7  and  9.     PECOPTERIS  STRONGH,  Spec,  nov <;''9 

Fig.     8.  An  enlarged  pinnule  of  fig.  7. 

Fig.    10.  PECOPTERIS  SQUAMOSA,  Lesqx-.,  (Fruiting,)   ...  c 400 

Fig.  1 1 .  Enlarged  part  of  the  same. 

Fig.   12.  PECOPTERIS  ARGUTA,  Brgt.,  (Fruiting,) .402 

Fig.  1 3.  Enlarged  part  of  the  same. 

Fig.   14.  ALETHOPTERIS  CRENULATA,  Brgt.,  (Fruiting,)      ,..,....- 392 

Fig.  15.  Enlarged  pinnules  of  the  same. 


U131  JlLi 


PLATE    XIV. 

PAGE. 
Fig.   1.  STAPHYLOPTKRIS  WORTHEXII,  Spec,  nov .- 405 

Fig.  2  and  2  b.  Groups  of  its  sporanges,  enlarged. 

Fig.  3.  STAPHYLOPTERIS  SAGITTATTS,  Spec,  nov 407 

Fig.  4  and  5.  Sporanges  and  their  cells,  enlarged. 

Fig.  6.  STAPHYL'OPTERIS  ASTKROIDES,  Spec,  nov 406 

Fig.  7.  Opened  sori  of  the  same,  enlarged. 

Fig.  8.  Round  unopened  sori  of  the  same?  natural  size. 

Fig.  9  and  10.  Same,  enlarged. 


PLATE    XV. 

PAGK. 
Fig.   1.  SPHKXOPTKRIS  SCABKRRIMA,  Spec,  nova . ,  , 408 

Fig.  2.  Pinna  of  the  same,  enlarged. 

Fig.  3.  SPHKSOPTERIS  GRACILIS.  Brgt ,  t 408 

Fig.  4,  5,  6.  Enlarged  pinnules  of  the  same. 

Fig.  7.  SPHENOPTKRIS  MIXTA,  Schp . . . . , .  409 

Fig.  6.  Enlarged  pinna  of  the  same. 


IV 


<Dif  u  ;I";H  29  'nil;  i 


A.H-Wortheri   d'.rext 


f 


.£  buj.  t 
.5  bnu  8 


PLATE    XVI. 

•      PAGE. 
Fig.  1  and  2.      HYMEXOPHYLLITES  CLARKII,  Lesqx 416 

Fig.  3  and  5.  HYMENOPHYLUTES  THAU/YFORMIS,  Spec,  nov 417 

Fig.  4.  Scales  of  the  same,  enlarged. 

Fig.  6.  HYMENOPHYLLITES  INFLATUS,  Spec,  nov 414 

Fig.  6  a.  Inflated  lobe  of  the  same. 

Fig.  *7.  HYMENOPHYLUTES  AD.VASCEXS?  LI.  and  Hutt 414 

Fig.  8.  HYMENOPHYI.MTES  ADXASCENS,  LI.  and  Hutt 


.»»AfI 


PLATE    XVII. 

Fig.  1 .     HYMENOPHYLUTKS  ARBORESCENS,  Spec.  nov.    


FAGS. 
..415 


ire  IB  <n>  Tt  s  a»B  m  o 


Coal    Measures 


••.-,..    i. 


Leo    Lesquereux  del. 


A.H.\A/orther.   dirext. 


Wis'tarn  EngravihpCc 


PLATE     XVIII. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1 .  HYMENOPHYLLITES  STROXGII,  Spec,  nov .417 

Fig.  2,  4,  5,  6.     HYMENOPHYLLITES  MOLLIS,  Spec,  nov .418 

Fig.  3.  Fragments  of  fig.  2,  slightly  enlarged. 


Leo    Lesquereux   dek 


- 


PLATE    XIX. 

PACK. 

Fig.  1,  2,  3 .         SPHENOPHYLLUM  CORN'CTUM,'  Spec,  nov 421 

Fig.   4.  Large  leaflets  of  the  same,  natural  size. 

Fig.  5.  Enlarged  part  of  the  same. 

Fig.    2  a.  H  YMKNOPHYLLITES    SPLENDENS,   SpCC.  HOV .  .  .  4  1  & 

Fig.  2  b.  Part  of  a  pinna  of  the  same. 

Fig.  6 .  PACHYPTERIS  KRACILLIMA,  Spec,  nov 419 

Fig.  7  and  8.      The  same,  eckrged. 


:     ;     >   N    i    i       •    ,        i 


Leo   Lesquereux    del 


A.H.Worthen   dirext. 


"Westjirtfl 


PLATE    XX. 

TACK. 
Fig.  1  and  2.         ANNULARIA  INKLATA,  Spec,  nov 428 

Fig.  3  and  36.      Leaf  of  the  same,  and  its  cross  section. 

Fig.  4  and  4  b.      Leaf  of  AXNCTLARIA  LOXGIFOLIA,  Brgt.,  and  its  cross  section, 422 

Fig.  5.  EQUISKTITES  OCCUDE\TALIS,  Spec,  nov 426 


IB  <D>  wn  IP  IB  J 


PL.  XX 


Leo  Lesquereux    del  - 


PLATE    XXI. 

PAGK. 
Fig.   1  and  2.      ANNITLARIA  LONGIFOLIA?  Brgt. 422 

Fig.   3.  Enlarged  leaf  of  the  same. 

Fig.    4.  ASTEROPHYLLITES  KIGIDUS,  Brgt 424 

Fig.  4<3.  Fragment  of  an  enlarged  leaf  of  the  same. 

Fig.  5.  LYCOPODITES  ANNULARI&FOLIUS,  Spec,  nov 426 

Fig.  6.          SCHUTZIA  BRACTEATA,  SpCC.  DOV 42T 

Fig.  7.  Enlarged  cone  a. 

Fig.  8.  Enlarged  scales  of  the  cone. 

Fig.  9.  Part  of  membrane  containing  pulverulent  matter,  much  enlarged. 


•  •  •,•   :   urivi    novri 


|,"   I          ill,          f    I,    I   •    1C.    . 


PLATE     XXII. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1.  LEPIDODKNDRON  MORRISIANUM,  Spec,  nov   430 

Fig.  2.  Enlarged  leaf  of  the  same. 

Fig.  3.  ULODEXDRON  ELLIPTIC™,  Sternb .  .436 

Fig.  4.  ULODENDRON  MAJUS,  LI.  and  Hutt . .    435 

Fig.  4«.  Cicatrices  in  their  primitive  state. 

Fig.  46.  The  same,  obliterated  by  age. 

Fig.  4c.  The  same,  decorticated. 


VOL  _  IV 


PL./XXll 


i     n*\ 

s 

:, 

f  ^v 

( 


Leo  I-,esquereux    del-. 


PLATE    XXIII. 

PACK. 
Fig.  1  and  2.      ULODEXDRO.V  KLLIPTKJUM,  Sternb    .. 436 

Fig.  3.  Cicatrices  of  the  same,  enlarged  twice. 

Fig.  4.  ULODENDRON  ELONGATUM,  Spec,  nov 437 

Fig.  5.  LEPIDODENDRON  FORULA.TUM,  Spec,  nor , ...431 

Fig.  6.  Enlarged  cicatrice  of  the  same. 

Fig.  7.  LEPJDODENDRON  FORULATCM,  decorticated. 

Fig.  8.  Enlarged  cicatrice  of  the  same. 


VOL  .   IV 


res 


Leo  Lestjuereux     del . 


PLATE     XXIV. 

PAGE. 
Fig.   1  and  2.    LEPIDODENDRON  Tuoui,  Spec,  nov  , ..... .431 

Fig.   ll>  and  2.  Enlarged  cicatrices  of  the  same. 
Fig.  3.  The  same  species,  decorticated. 

Fig.  3ft.  Enlarged  cicatrice  of  the  same. 

Fig.    4.  SlGILLARIA  CORRUGATA,   SpCC.  UOV 445 


Leo    Lescjuereux  del 


PLATE    XXV. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1 .     LEPIDODENDRON  MAMMILLATUM,  Spec,  nov 432 

Fig.  2.  LEPIOODKNDRON  CRUCIATUM,  Spec,  nov 432 

Fig.  3.  SIGII.LARIA  MASSIUKNSJS,  Spec,  nov 446 

Fig.  4.  Scar  of  the  same,  enlarged. 

Fig.  5.  FIGILLARIA  CORRUGATA,  Spec,  i  ov.,  decorticated. , 445 


VOL.  IV 


CAM  IB  OK  nip  IE  IB  ( 


\wr\\  Hi 

W&\K'V.\ 

»    j\  'n 

Q 


Leo    Lesquereux    del  - 


A.H.V/orthen   dirext. 


PLATE     XXVI. 

PAGE. 

Fig.  1.     LEPIDOPHLOIOS  PROTUBERANS,  Spec,  nov 440 

Fig.  2.     Uncovered  scar  of  the  same,  full  size. 

Fig.  3.     CAULOPTERIS?  ACANTOPHORA,  S[.ec.  nov 456 

Fig.  4.     Branch  of  the  same. 

Fig.  5.     FIGILLARIA  (Knorria)  MONOSTIOMA,  Lesqx.    446 

Fig.  6.     LYCOPODITES  MEKKII,  Spec,  nov 426 

Fig.  60.  Leaf  of  the  same,  enlarged  four  times. 


TO  TJ  3  IP1K  Ti  D  TL'  6 


Leo  Lescruereux  del. 


A.H-Wbitheii   dirext 


II  Vy      •'. 


•'""*?' 


PLATE    XXVII. 

PAOK. 

Fig.  1.  LEPIDODENDRON  RIGEXS,  with  leaves , 429 

Fig.  2.  Scar  and  base  of  leaf,  showing  point  of  attachment. 

Fig.  3.  Enlarged  section  of  a  leaf  of  same,  b. 

Fig.  4.  SYRIMJODENDRON  PORTERI,  Spec,  nov,  half  size 448 

Fig.  5.  Part  of  the  same,  natural  size. 

Fig.  6.  Cicatrices  of  the  same,  enlarged  twice. 

Fig.  7.  LEPIDODENDRON  GREENII,  Spec,  nov 433 

Fig.  8.  Enlarged  cicatrice  of  the  same. 

Fig.  9.  STIGMARIOIDES  AFFINIS,  Spec,  nov 455 

Fig.  10  and  12.  PAL^OXYRIS  PRENDELI,  Spec,  nov 464 

Fig.  106.  Part  of  its  surface,  enlarged. 

Fig.  11.  PALCEOXYRIS  APPENDICULATA,  Spec,  nov .465 

Fig.  13.  PAL.EOXYRIS  CORRCGATA,  Spec,  nov 466 


<D>H  a  ipin  n  OT 


n^UILUJ^-LJDAlL  £Tim  yJST  Igf  •J.XlL'JrllJlt^ 

B  Coal  Measuresj  ^ 


L,eo  Lesquereux    del- 


1TAJ 


PLATE    XXVIII. 

PAGE. 
Fig.  1.     CAULOPTERIS  OBTECTA,  ?pec.  nov  ,  one-fourth  natural  size . .  .451 

Fig.  2.  •    Same  specimen,  on  the  reverse. 
Fig.  3.     Branch  cicatrice  of  the  same,  natural  size. 

Fig  4.     Part  of  the  surface,  showing  rootlets  in  relative  p  sition,  either  naked,  or  with 
a  carbonaceous  pellicle. 


UL?  iLLLI 


,\  I !  .B  D  .N    I  .? •  a  JB  (DTD 


Leo   Lesquereux    del . 


A. H  .\Vbrthen  dirext 


PLATE    XXIX. 

PAGE. 

Fig.  ].  HALONIA  TCBKRCITLATA  ?  Brgt  , .451 

Fig.  2.  STIGMARIA  ELLIPTICA,  Spec,  nov 4.51 

Fig.    3.  SlGILLARIOIDES  STELLARIS,   SpCC.  HOV , ,  • 450 

Fig»  4.  STIGMARIOIDES  TRUNCATUS,  Spec,  nov 45 8 

Fig.  5.  STIGMARIOIDES  TUBEROSCS,  Spec,  nov ..,.,,.. 453 


VOLT/ 


PL.XXDL 


f  n  :F;E  IH  o  rr 


Leo  Lesquereux   del 


A.HJWbrthen  direxu 


?9»n 


PLATE    XXX. 

PAGE. 

Fig.  1.  LEPIDOPHLOIOS  ACRICULATUM,  Spec,  nov ,., 439 

Fig.  2.  LEPIDOSTROBUS  OVATIFOLICS,  Spec,  nov 441 

Fig.  2  6.  Blade  and  sporange — pedicel  of  the  same. 

Fig.  3.  LEPIDOSTROBUS  OBLONGIFOLIUS,  Spec,  nov 441 

Fig.  3  b.  Blade  and  sporange — pedicel  of  the  same 

Fig.  4.  LEPIDOSTROBCS  SPECIES? •  .4.40 

Fig.  5.  Scale  of  a  sporange?  enlarged. 

Fig.  6  and  7.  Spores  of  the  same,  much  enlarged. 


VOL- IV 


mm? 

(^Coal  Measures.) 


PL.  UK. 


Leo  Lesquere'jx  del. 


A.HJWbithen   dirext. 


Western  Engraving'CopHi^ago 


PLATE    XXXI. 

PAGE. 

Fig      I .  STIGMARIOIPES  VILLOSUS,  Spec,  nov ...  .454 

Fig.     2.  STIGMARIOIDES  LIXEARIS,  Spec,  nov 455 

Fig.     3.  STIGMARIOIDES  SKLAGO,  Spec,  nov  456 

Fig.     ?,  b.  Enlarged  scale  of  the  same. 

Fig.     4.  SIGILLARIOIDES  RADICALS,  Spec,  nov 449 

Fig.     5.  LEPIDOSTROBUS  TRCXCATCS,  Spec,  nov , 442 

Fig.     6.  LEPIDCSTROBUS  COXXIVEXS,  Spec,  nov , 442 

Fig.     7.  .  LEPIDOSTHOBUS  LANCIFOLIUS.  Spec.  EOV ; .  .442 

Fig.     8.  LEPIDOPHYLLUM  ROSTELLATCM,  Spec,  nov 44" 

Fig.     9.  LEPIDOPHYLLUM  STRIATL-JI,  Spec,  nov ' 443 

Fig.  10.  LKPIDOPHYLLUM  FOLIACECM,'  Spec,  nov 444 

Fig.  11.  RHABDOCARPOS  CLAVATTS?  Sternb 461 

Fig.    12  tO  15.  RlIABDOCARPOS  MAMMILLATrS,  SpCC.  I10V 461 

Fig.  16.  TRIGOXGCARPC.M  XO;GSERATHII,  LI.  and  Hutt  460 

J'ig.   17,  CARPOLITHES  CORTICOSUS,  Spec.  nov.         462 

Fig.  IS.  CARPOLITHES  PERSICARIA,  Spec,  nov 462 

Fig.  19  to  21.  CARPOLITHES  VESICCLARIS,  Spec,  nov .462 

Fig.  22  to  23.  CARPOLITHES  BULLATUS,  Spec,  nov : 4G3 

Fig.  24.  Same,  enlarged. 

Fig.  25.  RECEPTACLE  AND  SEEDS  OF  SIGTLLARIA? , . .  .  4  6S 

l:\s    25  a.  Seeds  enlarged  5  times. 


PL.  xxxi 


Leo    Lesquereux  del 


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